


Together, Bounding Through Time

by livefree_13



Series: Souyowrimo 2018 [1]
Category: Persona 4
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Flirting, Blushing Protag, Boys Being Boys, Boys Kissing, Boys in drag, Burns, College Souyo, Confession, Cuddling, Doting boyfriend, Emotions, Established Relationship, First Lovers Tiff, Flirting, Fluff, Friendship, High-Speed Ride, Hurt/Comfort, Innuendo, Kissing, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Making Out, Melancholy, Peeping, Public Display of Affection, Scantily Clad Yosuke, Sexual Frustration, Sexual Tension, Souyowrimo 2018, Unrequited Crush, Yosuke in Leather, mild anxiety, romantic pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 05:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16486739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livefree_13/pseuds/livefree_13
Summary: Well, it begins! This is where I'll be keeping my prompts forInkstainedGwyn'sSouyowrimo 2018 taking place onher Tumblrthis month. Each prompt will be added as a chapter and the tags to this post will grow accordingly.The NSFW prompts will be posted separately, but linked in my "Souyowrimo 2018" series.





	1. New Year's Day

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt 11/1: A Holiday 
> 
> (something short and sweet to start the month off)

It was close to freezing outside and Souji didn’t know _how_ he did it, but this orange tabby seemed more than content to purr and roll around on the icy Dojima residence driveway, butting its whiskered face into his gloved fingers over and over with exuberance and in complete disregard of the windchill. The rest of the clouter that Souji could spot between the grates of the gate were huddled all around Dojima’s car, each limb tucked carefully beneath their furry bodies and eyeing the duo with yellow-eyed glints of suspicion, as most cats tended to.

Souji didn’t mind the judgment. Meanwhile, the orange tabby sprung from the ground on its front quarters, ramming its muzzle into his glove again. Its purr was the loudest sound around on this early New Years morning. Souji was going to have to remember to bring him out some holiday food since it had been too cold to fish for several weeks.

“Yo, partner!”

Souji looked up and into the glare of sunrise to see the details of his friend’s form slowly begin to reveal themselves as he approached. He looked about as cold as expected, but cheerful. Souji was glad he wouldn’t have to tell Yosuke to zip up today; he always felt so lame when he did, even though Yosuke always extended an appreciative smile to answer the nagging.

“Good morning,” he greeted. “Happy New Year’s, Yosuke.”

Yosuke let out a funny little laugh when he spotted what Souji was doing on the ground. “Good morning. Happy New Year’s, yourself.” He let out a relieved sigh as he squatted to sit down next to them. “Looks like _he’s_ happy for the New Year.”

Yosuke extended his decidedly _not-gloved_ hand to the tabby’s curious nose. Souji heard the smooth, warm tone in his chuckle when the cat gave Yosuke’s fingers the same attention Souji’s gloved ones had been getting and felt a smile spread into his cheeks.

The cat rubbed at his hand insistently and allowed Yosuke’s fingers to travel over his back towards his rump for a scratch, his tail extending skyward as high as it could go. While his friend was distracted, Souji took a second to notice the way the new year’s light filtered through the ends of his thick, chestnut hair, set the pale glow in his skin apart from the light so it appeared as porcelain in the delicate shade.

Yosuke had let his guard drop around Souji a lot since he’d met him - an incredible amount - but it was rare that Souji caught him in such a peaceful setting. No worry appeared between his well-worn brow, no frown lines or a tense, troubled expression. He was _happy_ , Souji concluded. And he was here, on this quiet New Year’s morning, to share it with him.

Well, him and this tabby.

“You wanna take a walk?”

Souji glanced up from the exposed belly of the tabby that he was scratching to Yosuke’s eyes, bright as the sun and beautiful. Distantly, he wondered if this was the year he’d have the courage to tell him something like that. It was a New Year, after all.

“Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are much appreciated! (it really makes all the hard work worth it you have noooo idea.) you can also find me [here](http://livefreeordie13.tumblr.com/) on tumblr where i post smallish, poorly-worded shortfics, headcanons, and things.


	2. Glasses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 11/2: Glasses
> 
> (a little spicier)

There were not . . . _many_ things that got Yu Narukami hot under the collar.

But Yosuke Hanamura - dual-wielding kunai while wearing distinctly vivid orange frames above an energetic grin as he took down shadows with lightning speed and confidence - quickly became one of them. In his defense, Yosuke had a face for glasses. He had a face for . . . well, just about anything.

And God help him, but Yu had trouble taking his eyes off of Yosuke once they happened to slip in the brunet’s general direction - which was dangerous, not only because the leader was usually carrying a heavy and razor-sharp sword of some making, but also because of the _shadows,_  usually all around them, that weren’t going to give him the kind of leeway he’d prefer in order to ogle his best friend, which was a real shame.

He thought putting Yosuke in those ridiculous nose glasses that always earned an ear-splitting laugh from Yukiko would help, but Yosuke practically refused to wear them for more than a few seconds. He couldn’t blame him for that, though; they were pretty embarrassing.

It made matters worse that Yu could hardly afford to have Yosuke off his team on a majority of their training missions. Yosuke was his second-in-command, and if Yu, god forbid, became injured or too weak to continue on an important mission when lives were at stake, Yosuke would have to be strong enough to lead. That meant he was almost always in his party, whether he wanted to be or not, which _also_ meant that Yu _occasionally_ threw caution to the wind during a battle, staring brainlessly at his friend as he leapt in the air and summoned his persona with a yell and a slash of those glittering kunai.

He . . . _may_ have been forced out of the way of an enemy attack a time or two because of it . . . maybe _several_ times or two because of it.

He had briefly thought of asking Teddie if he could find a way to produce fog-resilient contact lenses (the glasses could fall off and crack, he’d argue), but the doomed words never got farther than the back of his tongue.

It was an unavoidable fact, after all, that Yu's interest went further than just those glasses.

So he simply found ways to cope for an entire year. Whenever Yosuke vanquished a shadow, he’d pull his blaring headphones off so Yu could hear the rhythmic bass booming from the speakers and toss him a victorious little grin, those damned glasses emphasizing his rich, bright eyes and high cheekbones. Yu, meanwhile, had become artful at smiling and nodding back. A few times, when his blood was racing with adrenaline and fire and the energy was a crescendoing series of victory cheers, he’d gotten brave enough for a few high-fives and hardy back pats.

They always left his fingers buzzing from the contact, so he had to make sure they stayed brief. In the TV world, as leader, Yu was in constant, iron-grip control of every whim that entered his mind. But it unnerved him, how shaky that grip became when Yosuke was so hot and so near. He wanted to rip those glasses off, if he were being honest, rip both their glasses off and press him, stumbling, into Risette’s showroom-lit hallways and put his hands and tongue where they hadn’t yet gone and drive them both along to the beat.

There were times, with the way those framed eyes shone back at him, raw and electric, that Yu thought Yosuke might actually let him.

But he certainly wasn’t willing to risk it. So he just smiled and nodded as always, and kept his distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are much appreciated! (it really makes all the hard work worth it you have noooo idea.) you can also find me [here](http://livefreeordie13.tumblr.com/) on tumblr where i post smallish, poorly-worded shortfics, headcanons, and things.


	3. Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 11/3: Morning
> 
> (college partners sharing coffee together in the wee hours)

As usual, it was the smell of Yu brewing coffee that woke him. It didn’t mean he had to open his eyes, though - not until his alarm inevitably went off. He probably had a lot of time before that happened, judging by the angle and the intensity of the light that escaped through the slit in the curtains, which blanketed the bottom of their futon. He used to hate it when he woke up early like this.  _Used_ to.

The soft creak of a footstep made Yosuke turn over to face the doorway. He smiled as Yu crept back over the hardwood floors toward the bed, carrying two steaming mugs and showing off a sleepy grin. Yosuke sat up and relieved Yu of one of the mugs while the other man carefully crawled over the lump beneath the covers (Yosuke’s legs) to his side of the bed.

“What time is it?” Yosuke asked as he blew on the contents of his mug and inhaled the scent. It was still too early but this _did_ smell terrific.

“I think it’s almost 7.”

Yosuke groaned, the noise echoing as he took a sip. _Ouch_ , it was too hot. Good, but hot. “Why did I pick an 8am class, Yu. _Whyyy_."

“Is that rhetorical, or are you expecting an answer?” Yu’s voice was pretty heavy, too. Yosuke wondered if he’d had trouble getting to sleep last night; that happened sometimes during the start of the semester.

“I want you to remind me next time _not to pick one_.”

“ _I did_ ,” Yu retorted. “And as usual, you didn’t listen. ‘ _Don’t worry, partner! The earlier the class, the earlier it’s over_.’”

Yosuke didn’t quite appreciate that. He shot him a dirty look over his lovingly prepared mug and Yu snickered into his. There wasn’t much heat to the glare, though, since Yu was one hundred percent right, and it turned into a pitiful (and embarrassed) wince. “Whatever.” He blew on his mug again. “At least I get to have coffee with you on the early days.”

“That’s the spirit.” Yu leaned over and kissed his cheek.

Yu looked way more well-rested than he sounded, but then he always appeared to be so, even back in high school. His hair was slightly longer than it used to be and his cheekbones had gotten a touch more defined at 20 than they were at 16. Otherwise, Yu looked as masculine and stunning as ever.

But in the mornings, he looked . . . different. Yosuke wouldn’t dare try to define it, but seeing his partner in a wrinkled t-shirt, hair mussed enough that it had to be tucked behind an ear and brushed away from his face, peacefully sipping from a warm mug on a cozy morning . . . it _did_ something to him. Made him realize how lucky he was somehow. _No one_ got to see this. Just him. Just Yosuke. It was definitely worth the early class.

He startled Yu when he very gently removed his mug from both his hands, chuckling when his partner was snapped out of his dreamy trance. He set both mugs aside on the table to his left and turned back to a puzzled Yu who eyed him quizzically as he got closer and closer and then kissed him, long and firm, until the potent taste of dark roast coffee was on Yosuke’s lips.

“Don’t you want to finish your coffee?” Yu’s voice rumbled against him, accompanied by a throaty chuckle.

Yosuke answered by leaning in for another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are much appreciated! (it really makes all the hard work worth it you have noooo idea.) you can also find me [here](http://livefreeordie13.tumblr.com/) on tumblr where i post smallish, poorly-worded shortfics, headcanons, and things.


	4. Yosuke's Jacket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 11/4: Clothes Swap 
> 
> (Yosuke lets Yu borrow his jacket, which is a Problem.)

“Here, just take mine, dude.”

It was an innocent suggestion, one Yu shouldn’t have thought twice about. He’d woken up to relatively mild temperatures, helped Yosuke out at Junes all morning, during which time a cold front had moved in, and now he was stuck without a jacket. Yosuke was offering him one - a nice, big, fluffy one at that. Yu usually checked the weather. He was hypersensitive over it. But this morning he’d been in such a rush to get out of the door when Yosuke called him in a panic that he’d forgotten completely to do so.

“But . . . what about you?”

Yosuke scoffed and waved his other hand (the one not holding the jacket out to him). “I live way closer than you do. Plus, I got my bike! I’ll be home in no time.”

“You’ll catch a cold.”

“Dude,” Yosuke lowered his jacket-burdened arm. “Please?” he requested nicely. “For me?” He raised the jacket out to him once again imploringly.

Yu looked from Yosuke’s face to the jacket several times. Finally, he sighed and took it from him, shuffling the puffy fabric around until he could locate the right end to put his arm through.

“Can’t have our leader getting sick now.”

Yu grinned warily at him, tugging the coat onto his shoulders. It fit him surprisingly well, he noticed, as he adjusted how the jacket laid over his clothes. Yosuke’s arms were apparently longer than his. That, or this jacket was just slightly over-sized. Either way, the shoulders fit right and it wasn’t too long. He wasn’t sure if he could pull off a jacket this . . . _voluminous_ , but it would get him to his home, at least.

Most importantly, it was Yosuke’s only defense against the cold - one he’d given up to help him.

“Thanks, Yosuke. You really don’t have to.” Yu, finally satisfied with the way the jacket hung on his torso, began adjusting the furry hood around his neck.

“It was the least I could do after begging you to help me on your day off. But, dang~” Yosuke made a show of looking Yu up and down. “Looks too good on you.”

Yu’s fingers immediately ceased in their fluffing of the fur hood as he felt the blush flood his cheeks. “I-it does?” He glanced back down over himself.

“Yeah. Almost makes me wanna give it to you.” Yosuke paused, giving him a knowing look which Yu couldn’t help but feel drawn to. “ _Almost_.”

Yu let out a nervous breath that he tried to disguise as a chuckle and finished fixing the hood. “I promise I’ll return it to you tomorrow.” He looked down and was somehow surprised to find a zipper since he’d never seen Yosuke use it. He fed it through with a smooth, satisfying sound and shot him a confident smile that he feared didn’t reach his eyes. “Thanks again, Yosuke.”

~~~

He hadn’t thought much about using Yosuke’s jacket - correction, he _wouldn’t_ have thought much about using Yosuke’s jacket, except that Yosuke had given him a peculiar once-over and told him he looked “too good” in it and . . . well, it was _Yosuke’s_ jacket. _His crush’s jacket_.

He was in both heaven and hell as he wandered the lonely trail back to his uncle’s residence in the strong, early fall breeze. The faux-fur lining of Yosuke’s coat and its puffy exterior shielded him from the chill completely, as if the jacket itself was an extension of Yosuke’s bright personality that warmed everyone around him. Yu’s own clothes felt so drab in comparison, actually, no matter how many compliments about his city-slick wardrobe he received from peers in every direction.

The worst part of it all - the part that Yu was now growing to dread with every passing minute that brought him closer to the next day - was that he’d have to return this article at some point tomorrow. He’d promised, so of _course_ he’d do it. He couldn’t very well keep Yosuke’s favorite jacket . . .

He pulled his arms to his chest as he rounded the block. He was almost home.

But maybe he could keep “forgetting” to return it, or make up some excuse like the one he brought from the city didn’t fit him anymore . . . no, that would only serve to make him feel guilty. _And it’s just a silly jacket_ , he reminded himself.

He released a defeated sigh as he neared the last block to home. He’d have to take the jacket off soon since he’d be inside. He hugged his arms a little tighter, lowering his face a few inches to see if he’d be able to catch the scent of the coat off the breeze. Wisps of fur tickled his neck, reminding him of the obnoxious hood flapping against his back that he was _sure_ would look ridiculous on him if he wore it.

He stopped walking, pulled the hood up, and regretted it instantly. The scent of his friend flooded his senses: an organic-smelling laundry detergent and whatever body wash and shampoo he used (some rough, sandalwood mixture that he could feel in his lungs as he breathed). It was ridiculous; he could practically _taste_ it.

He sighed and continued down the rest of the block, trying to ignore the smells and the warm feelings they were causing him to have, until he was standing before his front door. To his surprise, the car in the driveway was still there; Dojima must not have needed to go in on his Sunday, after all. Even with the furry hood around his ears, Yu could hear the sounds of the television faintly from inside (definitely the quiz show).

As he fished for his keys, he thought about the hand that had offered the coat to him, the face of the guy who did so out of thanks for a simple act of friendship. It had been no problem for Yu to push a few things out of the way to help his friend deal with the hoard of customers invading Junes for one morning.

But Yu supposed Yosuke would say the same about this loaned jacket.

He greeted a smiling Nanako briefly as he slipped off his shoes, fingers tugging anxiously on the cuffs around his wrists. Dojima grunted a welcome at him over his newspaper and Yu nodded at the back of it, eager to scoot past them all so he could tuck himself away in his room. He was just praying that Nanako wouldn’t say anything about this somewhat unfamiliar fat coat as he rounded the corner and hauled himself up the stairs two-by-two.

When he got to his room, he locked his door and quickly unzipped the stifling jacket and shrugged it off. If it were his own coat, he’d throw it over the arm of his small sofa, or maybe even hang it up. But this, he just held. He stood by his door and held it in listless hands, mind racing with memories from today, from the spring when he’d first met Yosuke, with the secret words of his confession he hadn’t yet found the courage to utter . . .

He’d give Yosuke back his jacket tomorrow. Tonight, just as Yosuke intended, Yu would let it keep him warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are much appreciated! (it really makes all the hard work worth it you have noooo idea.) you can also find me [here](http://livefreeordie13.tumblr.com/) on tumblr where i post smallish, poorly-worded shortfics, headcanons, and things.


	5. Catalyst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 11/5: After School
> 
> (Yosuke tries to help Yu feel better in December.)
> 
> The tags are updated each chapter so please be sure to take a glance before you click, but for the ones with darker tones, I will list them in the summary:  
> Hurt/Comfort  
> Angst With A Happy Ending

A week passed before Yosuke noticed. A week of mulling over the odd feeling he got when he saw Yu try to smile. A week of seeing tense, straight lines in Yu’s shoulders and a coldness in his eyes which presented itself whether the Team was hunting down Adachi or he and Yu were merely doing homework. An entire week of not being able to carry virtually any type of conversation with Yu that didn’t end with talks of the TV world until it finally hit Yosuke - Nanako and Dojima were _still_ in the hospital.

That Yu had been living in the Dojima residence all alone was something Yosuke had only just realized the night Nanako died, and in all the frenzy of finding the true culprit and Nanako’s resurrection, he’d promptly forgotten it. He was used to worrying about Yu, so the amount of time it took for Yosuke to come around mortified him. _That_ was why Yu had been acting so distant, and had been talking even less than normal, and why he didn’t seem interested in resting like everyone _knew_ he should be, and . . . it was why Yosuke was clearing his throat and opening his mouth before he knew what he was even going to say.

“P-partner,” he started, hoping the rest would simply . . . tumble out like it normally did.

Yu was putting his schoolwork back in his bag and stopped shuffling his papers to look at him. It was the first second in days either one of them had stopped long enough for Yosuke to take a good look at his eyes - and they were filled with the same coldness he’d grown used to seeing. Yosuke hated it, so he barrelled right past the sinking feeling in his gut and continued talking.

“Do you want to walk home with me? Today?” Oh, he didn’t need to add that last part, did he? He bit his lip to try and hide his disappointment as he waited for Yu to respond.

Yu furrowed his brow, looking down at his schoolwork first, then back up at Yosuke in total confusion. “Walk-”

“I mean-” Yosuke said ( _much_ too loudly), then cleared his throat and shuffled forward into Yu’s personal space. He knew he must look like an idiot, but there was no turning back now. “Would it be okay if I walked you home?” He said it slowly, annunciating each word as it fought to come out of his mouth.

It wasn’t that he was embarrassed about walking Yu Narukami home from school. They were best friends, partners; they’d followed each other out of school and walked home together many times before. It was nothing new. And neither was Yosuke embarrassed about the dorky way he’d asked him, like it was a date or a warm-up to a confession. That may have bothered him if he were talking to _literally anyone_ _else_ but . . . like just about everything, it was different with Yu.

What _did_ bother him was knowing that Yu knew why he was asking. Yosuke might be the first to admit he was an easy read; he was reactionary and emotional, no matter how successfully he played off his attitude to everyone around him. But Yu _knew_. He _knew_ Yosuke was trying to take care him, which filled Yosuke with the fear that his help, like it had been before, would be rejected because Yu could “handle it” himself.

He was just about to ignore whatever excuse Yu would come up with and follow him home anyway, even let himself inside Dojima’s home right behind his friend, kick off his shoes and . . . well, take the rest from there.

“Oh, um . . .” Yu mumbled, almost as if he were half-asleep, or still confused. Yosuke, meanwhile, never felt more awake, hanging on pins and needles waiting for Yu’s response.

“. . . Okay.”

Yosuke’s eyes widened instantly. “Yeah?” he whispered excitedly, reaching out to touch Yu’s arm before he thought better of it. 

“Sure,” Yu nodded with less uncertainty, a tiny, charmed smile on one side of his mouth. “That would be great, Yosuke.”

“Good!” Yosuke said, trying not to smile as widely as he was. “Good,” he repeated, then cleared his throat and abruptly turned around to grab his own school stuff. He packed quickly and absentmindedly, entirely uncaring that he was leaving some papers in his desk he knew he shouldn’t, and led the way out of the classroom with a confident smile, glancing to make sure Yu was indeed behind him.

The walk back to Yu’s house ended up being fairly quiet. Yosuke initially tried to fill the empty silence with mindless chatter about their day and the ridiculous outfit Kashiwagi had been wearing that morning, but it died quickly. The fog was an ever-present reminder of how fucked the town (the world?) would be if they didn’t catch up to Adachi, which Yosuke found hard to beat in terms of conversation topics. He desperately wanted to ask about Nanako, but the point was to get his mind _off_ that whole thing.

As it had been, the wind was completely still that afternoon; it was as if nothing could cut through that fog. Regardless, the chill permeated the tinged, stagnant air and crept into their collars as they picked up the pace towards Yu’s house. The fog was so thick, even, that Yosuke wondered if Yu would even hear him if he spoke, or if his words would just be swallowed up like the afternoon sun.

Yu was walking a foot or so ahead of him and Yosuke jogged to be in even step. He wished he could see his breath like he could this time last year; it might actually feel like winter and not a graveyard for a change.

“Don’t get too far ahead of me, dude,” he joked, bumping Yu’s shoulder and evidently knocking him out of a trance.

Yu chuckled and looked down the road ahead of them. “Sorry, almost forgot you were there, Yosuke.”

“Hey!”

Yu chuckled again, this time a little meatier. The Dojima residence was finally within view now, which meant they were only about ten yards from the door.

“Are you hungry?”

“Hm?” Yosuke turned to him, distracted from the clouter that always crowded the Dojima driveway. They seemed to be doing fine in this weather, not that Yosuke would expect any differently. Yu was probably sneaking food out to them every day, knowing him.

“Would you like me to make something?” Yu asked again as he grabbed for his door keys.

“Uh . . .” Yu cooking wasn’t exactly Yu _resting_ , but his partner’s poorly-disguised invitation to follow him inside the house certainly couldn’t be missed. Progress was progress. “Yeah, that sounds great!”

Yu smiled (was that relief?) and nodded, opening the door.

They pulled off their jackets and shoes and winter things. Yosuke was so warm upon entering the stuffy confines of Dojima’s entryway that he immediately took his school uniform jacket and hoodie off so he was left only in his white long-sleeve v-neck. Yu paused in taking off his scarf and Yosuke thought he felt eyes on him, but tried not to feel self-conscious. He wondered if he was being too informal as Yu seemed intent on staying in his full uniform. The odd feeling passed quickly, however, as Yu turned and left the entryway and shuffled into the kitchen.

“So, anything I can do to help?” Yosuke asked as casually as he could muster. He followed Yu into the kitchen and stood beside him as the amateur chef rummaged around the fridge for things to cook. Yu didn’t appear as though he was finding anything worth heating up, though, from the disappointed sounds Yosuke could hear him making.

“Oh,” Yu spoke softly, almost to himself.

Eventually, he stood and closed the fridge door with finality, hand stuck to the handle and eyes glued to the same. He seemed to be in heavy consideration. Yosuke didn’t want to break it, but then . . . he kind of _did._  In fact, he had to. _That’s kind of the point, isn’t it?_

“What’s wrong?”

Yu barely acknowledged he’d spoken, and if it hadn’t been for the slight twitch in a sad smile, the subtle shift of his gaze to Yosuke’s general direction, he might have thought Yu was trying to ignore him.

“I haven’t, um . . .” Yu began, and bit his lips, failing to finish. Yu swallowed, which sounded so loud in the stifling air of the Dojima kitchen that Yosuke felt twitchy. “I, um.”

Yosuke looked from the fridge door to Yu’s face, putting the pieces together bit by bit. Ah, that explained why Yu hadn’t brought lunch to school lately, then. Possibly why he seemed even more tired than usual. He wondered what Yu had been feeding himself when he was alone, and decided to reserve that troublesome thought for later.

Yosuke uncrossed his arms and pulled out his cell, scrolling through it until he found the number for Aiya’s. Yu must have not realized Yosuke was getting ready to place a call, because as soon as Yosuke began speaking Yu snapped his head in his direction, eyes soft and curious and unblinking until Yosuke flipped his phone shut.

“Food’ll be here in about twenty or so.”

Yu’s mouth dropped. He still didn’t blink.

“You should go change out of your uniform,” Yosuke encouraged.

Then he gave Yu a warm smile and patted his shoulder as he scooted past him to the sink, immediately twisting on the hot water, rolling up his sleeves to the elbow, and moving the days-old dishes around so they would soak. It was probably the one thing Yosuke considered himself capable at in terms of housework. He was shit at keeping his room clean, could never bother to remember the instructions for the washer and dryer, and was about as adept at cooking as a newborn, but dishes - he could do those. His mom had made plenty sure of that over the years.

Yu scoffed, shuffled a step closer. “Yosuke.”

“Uh, dude, where’s your dish sponge?” Yosuke looked in the other sink (which was empty save for the drying rack), around the knobs and the outlier space of the sink-washing area, and could only see the soap.

“Yosuke,” Yu said again, but Yosuke still couldn’t find the sponge. Finally, Yu huffed and walked up behind him. “We don’t use a sponge; we use a rag. Here.” He handed Yosuke a clean one that was folded up in a basket next to the electric stove top.

“Ohhhh, thanks!” Yosuke sang as he took it. He wetted it and lathered it with soap and tried not to check over his shoulder when he felt Yu’s eyes boring into him. He utterly failed. “Yes, Mr. Narukami?”

Yu immediately huffed out a laugh, which Yosuke could feel against his neck. Warmth rushed through Yosuke at the spot, but he told himself the resulting blush had to be due to the hot water.

Yu let out another sound, a small sigh, maybe; Yosuke couldn’t completely hear it over the running water.

“Okay,” his partner droned. “Okay, then.” That last sentence rang out more like a declaration than a reluctant agreement. Yosuke definitely liked the sound of it. He felt a large, warm hand on his back and gave Yu a half-smile with a turn of his head. “Thanks, Yosuke.”

“For what? Go get changed! I’ll call you when the food gets here.”

“I’ll be down in a bit.”

Yosuke watched Yu turn and head towards the stairs, noticing with relief that the line of his shoulders wasn’t quite as stiff.

Yosuke stayed well past midnight that evening, both of them pigging out on the abundant order he’d placed with Aiya’s (and Yu absolutely _devoured_ his food, so Yosuke wasn’t even guilty over the expense). He carefully navigated their conversations away from anything relevant, even pretended homework sounded interesting for a few minutes. Yosuke was just glad he could see life in Yu’s cheeks again as he smiled, the pale starburst in his eyes reinvigorated as Yosuke was finally rewarded with a rare, gut-gripping laugh. Yu’s face was so full and ruddy that it made Yosuke laugh, too, and he bet himself he could make it happen again tomorrow. Whether he could or not, Yosuke was definitely up to the challenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are much appreciated! (it really makes all the hard work worth it you have noooo idea.) you can also find me [here](http://livefreeordie13.tumblr.com/) on tumblr where i post smallish, fluff & nsfw shortfics, headcanons, and things.


	6. Shine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 11/7: Stars 
> 
> (yeah so i wrote a stargazing fic; all credit goes to [treya_barton](https://archiveofourown.org/users/treya_barton/pseuds/treya_barton) for the story idea! i wouldn't have come up with this on my own for sure ;__; truly indebted.)

As a city boy, Yosuke was not used to seeing the stars. Inaba was a shock in many ways and in this way was no exception. It had wild gardens and green pastures and a sky full of stars that were cut only by the line of the mountain range within which the borders of Inaba were nestled. Yosuke had not expected stars to be as breathtaking as he found them to be on his first night in his new home. Looking up from his small balcony, he was dumbfounded at how vast, how _full_ the sky looked riddled with them. Even in his disillusionment, alone and displaced, Yosuke had to admit they seemed pretty remarkable.

But Yosuke discovered there were ways to view the stars that extended beyond his little balcony once he met Yu Narukami.

 

The first time happened purely by chance - much like their first meeting. It was mid June. His shift at Junes had run late so, as he did on most similar nights while he was equal parts listless and wired from the bright lights and monotony of the department store’s grocery section, he found himself in the Inaba shopping district on his way home. He’d stopped to buy a soda at the machine in front of Konishi Liquors, like usual, when he caught sight of a familiar figure down the road coming out of the shrine and heading in his direction.

“Yu!” Yosuke called, half in question, raising his arm to get his attention.

Even from this distance, Yosuke saw the flash of Yu’s bright smile that formed when he noticed him.

“Hello, Yosuke,” Yu drawled in the familiar way as he neared. His bright smile was replaced with an easy grin; it looked too good on him.

“What are you doing out so late?” Yosuke teased. “Don’t tell me you just left a job, too.”

Yu briefly looked behind him at the shrine and back to Yosuke. “Nah, I had to spend some time at the shrine, that’s all.”

“Oh, okay,” Yosuke hummed. It was the first time he had any indication that Yu might be . . . somewhat religious? He didn’t want to pry, though. He really wasn’t as nosy as everyone said, but Yu knew that.

“Want to take a walk?”

“Hm? Sure!”

Yosuke wasn’t sure exactly how late it was, but spending time with Yu like this was pretty rare, especially so for being best friends. Yu seemed torn in a million directions, all the time, and Yosuke was hoping that one of these days Yu would call him for help just as Yosuke had always done to him. Frustratingly, he was still waiting for that call.

“How was work?” Yu started. They began a meandering pace downslope of the shopping district’s main drag, the only sound within earshot being the scuffling of their sneakers on the cracked pavement.

Yosuke sighed. “Super busy. I had to fill in for two part-timers when they didn’t show up, so I got out late, but,” he shrugged, “at least it’s Saturday.”

“You had to fill in for _two_ people?” Yu asked, concerned and turning to face him. “Can they do that?”

Yosuke shrugged again. “I mean . . . they were going to be in the same section; I just covered that section. It wasn’t a big deal, just annoying.”

Yu hummed suspiciously, but let the subject drop anyway.

“What’ve you been up to?” Yosuke crossed his arms and shoed a larger pebble so it skidded noisily down the road. The streets were always dead like this anytime after 20:00 and it always made Yosuke feel incredibly alone. He was glad he ran into Yu, tonight especially. He wasn’t quite sure why at the moment.

“It’s been quiet. I cooked Nanako dinner and then we watered the plants.” Yosuke smiled, chuckling lightly to himself. “And then I came out here.”

“You party animal,” Yosuke laughed.

Yu straightened his already impeccable posture. “I try.”

They kept walking, until the shrine was far behind them and they were coming up to the bus stop. That’s when Yu nudged him with his elbow, knocking Yosuke out of a brief, sleep-deprived trance.

“Hey,” he whispered, and when Yosuke looked at him, he noticed Yu’s eyes reflected on the sky and glanced up himself.

The stars were out, pretty much like normal. There did seem to be a lot of them tonight, but other than that, there was nothing unusual about them.

“What is it? The stars?” he asked, wondering if there was something he was missing.

“Yeah, they’re actually out tonight. I haven’t seen them the entire month, it’s been so rainy and cloudy.”

“Huh.” Yosuke stared up at them, slack-jawed, tired eyes sweeping over the endless swath of midnight sky littered with pinholes of bright white light. Some were twinkling in and out of existence, but most remained static, ever-present clusters that soared above them from every edge of the horizon. Yosuke hadn’t even realized they’d been missing all this time. “Is that so?”

They had already slowed to a complete halt on the corner of the sidewalk, usually where he and Yu would part ways since their houses were on opposite ends of the road. Yosuke was then reminded he’d been staring at the sky for who knew how long when his neck began to ache. He stretched and glanced over at Yu, who looked away suddenly and down at his shoes as he, too, nudged a few bothersome pebbles. Yosuke couldn’t tear his eyes away from the totally foreign look on his face.

Had he . . . been . . . ?

“You must be exhausted,” Yu said to his own shoes, then looked up at him.

It took Yosuke a painful second to respond as his mind had gone suddenly blank. “Uh, y-yeah. Yeah, totally,” he breathed, laughing at little. “I must be.”

“Well, then goodnight, Yosuke. Try to get some sleep.” The usual friendly smile, and then Yu was walking away.

“‘Night!” Yosuke called after him. He watched Yu make the corner before turning and heading back to his own house. Now it was dead silent. The exhaustion from the school day and long shift was finally beginning to take its toll on his legs. His mind, though, was left racing.

 

The next time it happened, Yosuke found himself to be the one staring.

Yu had invited him out that evening - an increasingly rarer and rarer treat as his best friend seemed to only become busier the further into the year they got - and was a little surprised Yu wanted to meet at the Samegawa. They hadn’t been there in months, not the two of them at least. It was late October, the festival and concert still fresh in his memory, and the air was much chillier than it ought to be.

He was holding his arms as he descended the short, white-washed stone steps leading to the banks and beelined toward the solitary figure to the right of the dilapidated cement dock. He slowed in step when the figure he approached did not . . . really resemble Yu.

“Partner?” Yosuke asked cautiously, a twinge of fear stirring in his gut. He normally wouldn’t be afraid of strangers - not in this town - but . . . well, it _had_ been quite a year.

The figure turned its head quickly and Yosuke immediately recognized his friend’s face, letting out a sigh of relief. “Hello, Yosuke.”

“What are you wearing?”

The closer Yosuke grew, the more obvious became the answer to his question: Yu had adorned himself in some thick, rubbery overall-type thing that was about the same color as the muddy water, along with a black, long-sleeved shirt and giant rainboots with laces. He looked utterly ridiculous. Yosuke also noticed a wide belt around his middle off of which hung about half a dozen brightly colored rubber fishes and squid-shaped doohickies.

“I decided to do some late-night fishing. It’ll get too cold to do this soon.” Yu turned to look back out over the noisy water once again. It then became clear to Yosuke that he was also holding something - a fishing rod, presumably.

“That . . . doesn’t answer my question, but okay.”

Yu chuckled warmly. “It’s to protect my clothes from getting wet.”

“And these?” Yosuke tugged on one of the little squids at Yu’s side.

“They’re lures. To catch fish,” Yu smiled at him, a beguiling glint in his eye. “You’ve never fished?”

“I _hate_ fish,” Yosuke scowled.

“I know that, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy fishing.” The water splashed suddenly and Yu, snapping to attention, jerked at the rod a few times and spun his wheel of line. The clicking of the reel drowned out the sound of the fish fighting for its life in the distance.

The river looked inky and intimidating, but the starlight reflecting off its surface made it absolutely sparkle.

“Will it bother you if I keeping fishing?” Yu asked, causing Yosuke to break his gaze at the lake and fixate on his friend. “You know, since you ‘ _hate’_ fish and all.”

Yosuke glared at him. Yu was lucky his skin looked so good in the moonlight. “I’ll live.”

A placating grin broke out over Yu’s face, followed by a laugh. “We haven’t been able to hang out for a while and, well, I figured this would be as good a time as any. The stars are out tonight, too.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Yosuke called as he traipsied over the grass further away from shore to sit.

He plopped down onto the cool, dewy grass with his legs stretched out and elbows propping him up and gazed out over the river. The stars were out in full force tonight, blanketing the Samegawa with an endless spray of millions of specks of light that danced in celebration over the rippling water. The waves beckoned the sky; the two would almost have seemed inseparable if not for the rapid line of movement at the water’s surface that disturbed the skyline.

Yu was in the middle of the two, his lone, solid form the dutiful clasp that held together each end, the stars and the river. Strong-shouldered and clean cut, and the perfect, quiet master of both unstoppable forces. The starlight bathed his silver hair white, set it gently aglow against the bright sky.

“Bored yet?” Yu called over his shoulder, an alluring smirk tugging up his mouth.

“Not quite,” he whispered.

 

The third time, Yosuke didn’t have to worry about who stared at who first.

He had his blanket-bed laid out across the freshly-sprung grass of the Samegawa. The March thaw had finally allowed the soil to release the Spring growth, but the ground was still _incredibly_ cold. Yosuke was glad he brought two blankets to sit on and a few to wrap up in. The pillows and hot tea were pluses, as well, not to mention this homemade snack. He admitted he’d really outdone himself on this one.

The faint crunch of shoes on gravel signaled to Yosuke he wasn’t alone, and he looked to his left to find Yu’s approaching figure, cloaked in his jacket and scarf.

“Hello there,” Yu whispered.

“Hey,” Yosuke chuckled as Yu finally made it to the blanket.

He sat down next to him, carefully avoiding the mugs of tea and other objects that Yosuke had laid out, and leaned in for a kiss.

“It’s cold out,” he shuddered once they pulled away.

“ _Ohhh_ yeah it is. That’s why I brought these.” He divvied up the travel mugs, handing Yu the one that had the jasmine tea tag dangling off the side. Yosuke had chosen something with cinnamon for himself, since tea wasn’t always his thing and he thought the spice might serve to warm him up. “Oh, and check it out!”

Yosuke leaned over and popped off the top of a plastic bowl, revealing a wave of steam and a sweet, enticing smell that hit the shivering boys instantly. Inside bobbed a dozen or so perfectly steamed, tender dumplings.

Yu’s eyes widened as his eyes began to immediately digest the appetizer. “Did you make these?” he asked in awe.

Yosuke wanted to lie right there his boyfriend’s face was in such a state of pride and amazement . . . but he couldn’t do it. “I . . . I helped. I really did!”

Yu laughed heartily, a pinkish tint creeping into his cheeks that Yosuke wasn’t sure was brought on by the cold or something else. “I believe you,” he conceded.

Yosuke handed him some chopsticks and they got to work nabbing the dumplings up one by one. They stopped halfway through to take a break, their mouths burning pleasantly and tummies slowly filling.

“This picnic is impressive, Yosuke,” Yu complimented as he gazed around at the full setup, something he apparently hadn’t taken a chance to do earlier. “You really outdid yourself.”

Yosuke shrugged. “I know,” he said with a wink and a smile. “Have to take advantage of the time we have, you know. Why not make it special?”

Yu hummed in consideration, gazing at Yosuke’s face even as their smiles began to fade. Yu’s eyes looked great at night; Yosuke had always thought so, but now he was actually allowing himself to enjoy them. They didn’t dim like most peoples’. They reflected the light of Inaba’s star-studded sky almost as if they were soaking the glory of it all in. They shimmered and glowed, and appeared as vast and as deep as a well, as they leaned closer, as they gently sealed themselves behind pale eyelashes.

Even with two blankets, the ground was frigid, but Yu’s mouth kept him warm to the core, hot and wet like the flames licking his belly. Their dumplings were getting cold, but Yosuke reached up his hand anyway, and tangled his fingers in the back of Yu’s hair. Their travel mugs, safely snapped shut, clinked together as their knees sent them tumbling to roll over the blanket. Yosuke felt his boot knock the dumpling container and pulled his chest against Yu’s until Yu was practically leaning over him, their jaws grinding softly yet fiercely, deep and filling and still searching.

“Y-you said you wanted to stargaze,” Yu panted when he pulled away for a gasp of cold air.

Yosuke grabbed the back of his jacket and urged him down again, a wet and eager smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are much appreciated! (it really makes all the hard work worth it you have noooo idea.) you can also find me [here](http://livefreeordie13.tumblr.com/) on tumblr where i post smallish, fluff & nsfw shortfics, headcanons, and things.


	7. Yosuke, kogyaru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 11/8: Costumes 
> 
> (a Yasogami Beauty Pageant fic wherin Yu cannot keep his eyes to himself; a little spicy but not too dramatic.)

Yu looked down at the wad of clothes in his hands with a furrowed brow and mixed emotions. One on hand, he was a bit miffed. Thanks to Yosuke (and Teddie), he’d be forced to spend part of Yaso’s Culture Festival wearing whatever _this_ was in front of a crowd full of his peers (and that didn’t include the makeup and hair ritual he was about to undergo). On the other, he was oddly indifferent in such a way that it startled even himself. He didn’t particularly _want_ to dress up as a girl for the pageant, but he certainly wasn’t filled with as much dread as Yosuke seemed to be.

He unraveled the wrinkled costume until it began to separate, finally revealing itself as an old-fashioned Yasogami girl’s uniform with a long, floor-length skirt and traditional top.

“ _This_ is what I’m wearing? It’s just a Yaso uniform.”

But Yukiko seemed far too delighted for that to be the case. She clapped both her hands together and pressed them over a rare, large smile. “Oh, don’t worry, Yu-kun. There’s a little more to it than that.”

Yu gulped and steeled himself.

 

Thirty minutes later, right before the pageant was about to start, Yu stood backstage in his cumbersome skirt, jacket, and braided wig, sighing and mindlessly tapping the length of the bokken that Yukiko had thrust into his hands at the last minute as a “finishing touch” against his shoulders. He was the only one out here so far and it unsettled him. He felt sorry for his friends, who were likely getting a rough treatment from the other girls. Yu considered himself lucky for having gotten Yukiko to style him; the clothes she selected fit him quite well and the wig, for all its weight, framed his face rather nicely. It was hot, though, under these stage lights.

He’d just begun swinging the bokken around out of boredom when he heard a gruff sound approach from his right.

“Hey,” Kanji mumbled as he click-clacked his way from the entrance.

“My god,” Yu gasped.

He was having a hard time digesting the sight before his eyes. Seeing Kanji wobble on those heels while wrapped in that tight-fitting white dress had Yu’s gut instantly clenching in sympathy.  It made him feel even better about his own circumstance, if that was possible. That red lipstick was . . . _garish_ , to say the least (Yu didn’t realize he was wincing).

“W-well? Say somethin’, senpai!”

Yu wasn’t sure if Kanji was blushing or if that was _real_ blush, but he didn’t want to think about it. Weirdly, Kanji didn’t look ashamed, as Yu imagined he might, but more nervous - _sweating_ , even. He supposed anyone would be though, in a dress like that.

“At least straighten your posture,” he advised.

Kanji flustered and immediately straightened his back which made him grow several inches taller than he was already and Yu showed him a calm, encouraging smile in return. Yes, this was definitely going to be _rough_ for Kanji.

Yu was just starting to wonder when Yosuke was going to come out when he heard another set of footsteps approach them from the same entrance. He leaned around Kanji to see if it was Yosuke and saw the flash of his brunet hair and his rounded, sulking shoulders. As he came into the light, Yu felt a small smile form on one side of his mouth as he began to make out the details of his costume.

Yosuke had a bitter, regretful look on his face, but aside from that the first thing Yu noticed was the rather large, red bow over his chest and long, black socks up his calves. Ah, it looked like Chie had chosen that city-inspired _kogyaru_ look for him, much (he was sure) to Yosuke’s chagrin. Fitting for Yosuke. The skirt he was wearing didn’t pull any punches, either. It hit just below his thighs so his legs were . . . were over-exposed beneath the flimsy bit of length and . . . oh . . . oh, no.

Oh, _no_.

Yu spun around and concentrated on his pulse. Yosuke’s legs looked absolutely _amazing_ in that. Pale and slim, they were breathtaking, long, never-ending. He’d seen him in shorts; he knew what his legs looked like, how marvelous they were. How could a simple skirt accentuate so much?!

“Whoa, Yosuke-senpai, you look hot!” He heard Kanji blurt out from behind his back. 

“Sh-shut up, dude, come on!” Yosuke whined, all while the fresh memory of what he was wearing careened wildly through Yu’s mind.

He had to calm down. It was just a cliche drag getup, nothing to get worked up over. Sure, it was Yosuke, and _sure_ , he was wearing what had to be the shortest skirt Yu had ever seen, but he had to maintain control. _He had to._

“Uhhh, bro? You okay?” Yosuke’s concerned voice squeaked out, and it made Yu realize that Yosuke must be able to hear his breathing. Of course he did; Yu was practically panting. He felt defenseless like this, ambushed, with no Goho-Ms.

“Earth to Yu-senpai.”

He had to turn around. It was his only option. That meant he had to calm himself and work up the nerve to face them as fast as possible. He could do it. It was still just Yosuke. Just Yosuke . . . in a . . . in a short skirt . . .

For the second time that day, Yu gulped and steeled himself. He slowly turned back around, bokken perched protectively over his shoulders and a tense grin on his face.

“I’m fine! Just a little warm,” he laughed nervously. “Y-you look cute, Yosuke.”

Inside, he was imploding. He didn’t think he’d ever call Yosuke “cute” to his face, but that had slipped out so _naturally_. Fortunately, Yosuke seemed totally oblivious to his rising panic.

“Ugh, not you, too! _Dammit_ , partner.” He hung his head, groaning. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Even as he was batting down the urge to stare at his legs, Yu found the sense enough to be offended that Yosuke didn’t return the compliment. Like hell if he was going to go _asking_ for one, though. He frowned and decided to keep his mouth shut.

Kanji shuffled over to him and leaned in like he was preparing to tell Yu a secret. “Why didn’t you say _I_ looked cute, huh, senpai?” he hissed. “I do, don’t I?”

Yu flushed and immediately looked away from those large, imploring eyes lined with fake lashes and onto Yosuke instead, who stood sullenly holding his stomach, eyeing Kanji with a mix of disgust and perplexity. Oh, he had a little strawberry tie in his hair. Terrific.  

“You both look cute,” Yu managed, somehow, tapping the bokken against his shoulders out of pure nerves. Kanji’s stare was unrelenting.

“Will you cut it out, already?” Yosuke huffed, fists dropping to grip handfuls of that much-too-short skirt that really could _not_ have used any help being higher up his thighs. “And how come I ended up in _this_ while you’re completely covered up?!”  

Yu shrugged.

“I’m gonna kill Chie for this . . .” he muttered darkly, releasing the skirt and crossing his arms angrily.  

Now Yosuke was standing more like usually did, with his leg sort of bent at the knee and sticking out. Within seconds, Yu’s willpower had diminished and he was left shamelessly staring at the smooth skin protruding from the sheer stocking, gaze traveling up its length toward the dip in his inner thigh and well into the shadow created by the fold of the plaid cloth until he was able to make out the edge of his boxe-

“H-hey!” Yosuke’s yelp snapped his train of thought clean in two. “Just what are you looking at?!” He hurriedly tugged the skirt down (as if it would actually help), and shot Yu an accusatory glare. The look in his eyes hit the made-up bancho straight in his heart.

“Oh! S-sorry, Yosuke,” he stuttered out as he turned away. “Forgive me.”

Part of Yu’s face (the part that had broken out into a severe blush) thankfully became shielded by the bokken, although he briefly considered decking Kanji with it when his kohai suddenly belted out an obnoxious laugh. When he got no response from Yosuke, Yu chanced a few brief glances in his direction until he finally found the courage to meet his eyes.

They were hard and piercing, curious, and his face was as red as Yu’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are much appreciated! (it really makes all the hard work worth it you have noooo idea.) you can also find me [here](http://livefreeordie13.tumblr.com/) on tumblr where i post smallish, fluff & nsfw shortfics, headcanons, and things.


	8. The Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 11/10: Tokyo 
> 
> (Yosuke visits a despondent Yu in Tokyo after summer vacation)

“There’s no place like Tokyo.” Yosuke reminded Yu of this several times during the course of their year-long friendship. That, and “You’re so lucky you get to go back.” But Yosuke couldn’t have known, then or even now, how unlucky Yu felt when that fateful train finally did return him to that “magnificent” city of theirs. He imagined himself standing on that platform next to his family and friends waving goodbye as the train pulled his real body further and further away from them. _I’m finally going home_ , he remembered thinking, except it didn’t feel like going home at all.

His first few days back in the city were not as hard as he expected. Yu wasn’t particularly glad to be there, but Inaba was still so fresh in his memory that being away didn’t bother him. Texts from his friends, even _more_ texts from Yosuke, and school kept him distracted. He’d managed to finish unpacking just in time for him to re-pack for his trip back to Inaba over Golden Week.

Leaving for Tokyo a second time snuck up on him. He’d known it was coming, of course, but the time passed too easily in Inaba and he was used to moving at a much slower pace there. His heart instantly sank when he looked at his calendar and saw how close his last day was getting. It almost made him wish he hadn’t bothered, but seeing Nanako’s face light up when he got off the train had been well-worth the pain of leaving. Or so he told himself.

The break between Golden Week and summer vacation was _much_ harder. School kept him going, but the days absolutely dragged - and not like they did in Inaba. He was crawling towards summer break on his hands and knees for weeks before breaking into a sudden sprint that found him on the train one day early, just for the hell of it. And he was pretty sure summer break in Inaba was the best thing that ever happened to him, even more than his first year there, because now he could spend that time with his family and friends without the threat of a murder investigation and schoolwork and kidnappings. His friends smiled and they were _real_ smiles, completely void of anxiety, and Yu felt really glad to see them for the first time.  

But Tokyo came to pull him back, just as it always did. Half of it was his parents preferring he stay in the big city where he “had everything he needed”, but the other part was Yu’s own fault. He needed the school’s reputation to land his choice for a law program, and a prestigious high school was a good stepping stone. For all Inaba’s spiritual worth, it was still just a small town in the middle of nowhere. Remaining in Tokyo simply couldn’t be helped.

And after summer break, when he returned and had no idea when he’d see Inaba again and began his usual task of wasting away, he got a text from Yosuke out of the blue.

He couldn’t contain his excitement when Yosuke broke the news that he’d be able to break away from Inaba for a few days and join him in the city. He wanted to see Yu’s place, he’d said, and show him the Tokyo _he_ remembered. Yu was looking forward to seeing this place through Yosuke’s eyes since he’d never felt very connected to it. It was the city he’d lived in the longest but it still felt alien to him. Yosuke, though - he’d grown up here, and knew things that Yu would have never discovered on his own (mostly because Yu had very little will to explore a place when there was no one to explore it with).  

The trip would be short, over a three-day weekend that Yosuke miraculously didn’t have to work during. Yu ticked off the days with quiet anticipation as the Day drew nearer; he never enjoyed looking at his calendar so much. He couldn’t stop himself from tidying up his room and fussing over various things - the sleeping arrangements, space in his closet, the pantry.

He knew all of Yosuke’s favorite foods and planned to cook as much as possible, so he decided that his trip to the grocery was going to be a haul as a result. He could make curry the first night, no question; then he’d cut up some sushi and put together a little bento for lunch one day, and maybe do a western-style breakfast for him since Yosuke liked that sort of thing.

He was standing there, like a dope, with a half-full cart of all the various things he wanted to cook for his friend, when he finally realized it was only going to be _three_ days. There was no reason - or, more importantly, _time_ \- for all of this, especially since Yosuke would also be traveling on two of these days.

He sighed and dejectedly placed some of the items from his cart back onto their respective shelves. He supposed he should just . . . stick with the curry this time. It was Yosuke’s favorite, so it was a good choice. And he’d be able to cook more for him when the next vacation rolled around and Yu got to go back to Inaba for a little while. Yeah, so this was fine. He really didn’t _need_ all of this.

He stared into his cart listlessly, figuring there was more he should put back when he felt his pocket vibrate. His heart fluttered as he pulled his phone out and saw a text from Yosuke.

>> _hey prtnr, random Q for u_

Yu raised a confused eyebrow at the words. _Q?_

< _Q?_

>> _question  
_ >> _shud i bring my system orrr_

Yu smiled, understanding that Yosuke was just _now_ \- on the night before his visit - figuring out what to bring.

< _If you want to, sure._

>> _do u want 2 play at all?_

< _I’m okay with whatever you want to do._

>> _... u sure?_

< _Positive, Yosuke._

>> _... k ;)_

Yu chuckled at his phone screen before flipping it closed, whispering, “Just get here,” as he slipped it in his coat pocket.

 

**_[The next day]_ **

>> _yo prtnr! 10 mins. u at the station yet??_

< _I’m here. I’ll see you on the platform. :)_

Yu bit his lip as he stared at the dumb smiley face he’d just sent. He and Yosuke had been trading texts every few hours since last night and even after all this time, Yu still couldn’t get himself to feel comfortable expressing _anything_ through text like Yosuke could. It bothered him more than it should have, probably. He swallowed his embarrassment and tucked his phone away.

Yu had to force himself to stop bouncing on his heels as the minutes evaporated and drew closer to the time his friend would be beside him again. Yu had gone a _bit_ overboard in his preparations. He’d cleaned his house from top to bottom, and then from bottom to top. The ingredients for tonight’s curry were pre-prepared and waiting to be cooked.

His parents were away, too (had been for months), so he hadn’t bothered letting them know he had a guest. Yosuke knew about the strained relationship Yu had with them which helped Yu’s anxiety on the matter tremendously. He wouldn’t have to explain their obvious absence or answer any probing questions. They could just be themselves, in a house all to themselves. The empty rooms would be filled with more than just _his_ voice for once, and the kitchen would be alive with the smells and sounds of joyful cooking, and with the company of his friend it might finally, _finally_ feel like a home, just for a little while.

The sound of the train pulling up had Yu bouncing on his heels again. He cut his way through the crowds before it rolled to its final stop, and Yosuke must have been right by the doors, because as soon as they opened he saw his face, bright and beaming, and Yosuke’s arms were suddenly _very_ much around him.

“Hey, partner!” Yosuke greeted, his cheerful voice right behind Yu’s ear.

“Yosuke! I-it’s so good to see you.”

Yu tried to stay calm. Yosuke had never really hugged him like this. They touched a lot, but hugging wasn’t really their thing. If he recalled, Yosuke didn’t hug anyone, much less guys. Yu didn’t mind it, though. He didn’t mind it _whatsoever_ , in fact. He returned the hug easily and couldn’t help but notice how natural it felt. He immediately pushed that thought away as they separated.

To his surprise, Yosuke looked a little red. “S-sorry, guess I was just happy to see you, heh,” Yosuke smiled as he rubbed at the back of his neck.  

“It’s okay; I don’t mind,” Yu assured him, returning his equally nervous smile. “Here.” He reached out and grabbed the extra bag Yosuke carried, noting its weight and realizing it must be his game system he brought along.

“Phew, thanks,” Yosuke laughed. “Don’t drop that, okay? Took me months of paychecks to pay my parents back for that.”

“Oh, you mean like this?” Yu asked, and proceeded to demonstrate a convincing fake-drop of his prized possession. It got Yosuke to gasp and then sigh in a mix of relief and frustration, so Yu considered it a win.

Yosuke smacked his arm playfully and they both laughed as Yu led his friend out of the train station and towards the bustling city-at-large.

“So, what’s the first thing you want to do?” Yu asked as they reached street level. Tokyo’s streets were busy as always, but weren’t bad for it being the middle of the afternoon.

Yosuke didn’t answer him so Yu stopped to turn to him only to find Yosuke trailing several feet behind him. Yosuke stood quietly in apparent complete ignorance of Yu as he took in the sight of the city he hadn’t stepped foot in for well over a year. Yu couldn’t place the look on his friend’s face, but he enjoyed seeing it. He stayed quiet as he took a few steps back toward him and stood next to him, trying not to be obvious as he studied Yosuke’s face as much as he could.

Eventually, Yosuke took a deep breath and chuckled to himself, but said nothing.

“You hungry?” Yu asked softly.

Yosuke finally met his eyes with a smile. “Yeah, I know a place.”

Yu, struck by the unfamiliar light in Yosuke’s eyes, could only follow his lead from there.

 

They ended up in some cramped cafe (which Yu never would have thought to entertain) that was located on a side street right off one of the bustling main avenues. Yosuke told him to stuff his crap beneath the table they secured right next to the restaurant’s large window near the front door. Yu did as he was told and sat down in the seat furthest from the door, watching the passersby on the sidewalk outside while Yosuke disappeared (likely to order their food).

When Yosuke returned, he sat down with a satisfied sigh. “ _This_ was  _my_ table back when I still lived here,” he began. “And you’re about to find out why.”

Yu quirked a brow at him and laughed lowly. It certainly provided a great view of the sidewalk, being that it was right next to it. Other than that, Yu didn’t really understand the allure. The city was pretty right now, though, basked in high-afternoon light that shimmered off the cars and billboards and bathed the legs of the girls that - oh . . .

“I see,” Yu murmured, as another group of high school girls passed by their window.

“Hey!” Yosuke snapped, nudging him with his foot. “Don’t be so obvious, you dork. And it’s not just about the girls, okay?”

Now Yu was even _more_ curious. He slowly turned his gaze from the window to Yosuke’s slightly reddened face, brow raised. “It’s about the guys, too?”

“Very funny,” he bit back with a semi-amused scowl on his face. The waitress showed up at that moment to set their bowls of fried rice on the table along with two bottles of soda. Yu thanked her as Yosuke took a second to clear his throat.

When she was gone, Yosuke continued in a demure, hushed tone. “It’s. . . just a great place to watch the sunset, is all. The buildings are super tall here and the way the light comes down, it kinda has a cool effect . . . c-c’mon, don’t look at me like that!”

Yu looked down at his food immediately but didn’t try to hide the smile on his face. After a second or two, he chanced a glance back at Yosuke to see that the embarrassment was mostly gone. Left exposed was only Yosuke’s kind, sentimental grin as he toured the skyline with his eyes.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Yu murmured as he cracked his chopsticks and fluffed his rice.

Yosuke chuckled anxiously and proceeded to do the same. “Let’s hope it’s as pretty as I remember it,”

 

The sunset was every bit as gorgeous as Yosuke had promised it would be. The skyline had only been one part of it; Yosuke had been right about the effect of the rays against the concrete-covered landscape. It made everything glow a brilliant orange for a few minutes as the sun dipped behind the lower buildings. It was certainly a sight Yu couldn’t say he’d seen anywhere else.

Yosuke still seemed a little embarrassed about it on their way back to Yu’s house, though, so Yu delicately danced around the topic and onto other things - his trip here, how everyone was doing in Inaba, what else Yosuke had planned for them - all answers to which Yosuke rattled off enthusiastically.

As excited as he seemed to be, though, Yosuke was clearly exhausted. His sneakers were dragging on the sidewalk and all the way to Yu’s front door.

“Feel free to rest if you want before dinner. I’m making curry,” Yu explained as he let them inside. The cool air conditioning was a welcome change from the humid October air of the city.

“What, you’re making curry?! Dude! You don’t have to do that!”

“I want to,” Yu insisted, pointedly keeping his mouth shut about all the other items he’d wanted to cook this weekend. He threw his keys into the tray and placed Yosuke’s bag by the hallway that led up the stairs to his room.

Yosuke tsked him but Yu could tell his friend was looking forward to it.

“Woah, damn . . . !” Yosuke exclaimed suddenly, and it startled Yu so much that he paused in taking off his blazer. “Ah, sorry! Your house is just a lot bigger than it looks on the outside.”

Was it, now. “You think so?”

“Yeah,” Yosuke shrugged out of his jacket, still drinking in the sight of Yu’s much-too-large house. “Can’t wait to see what your room looks like.”

“You can go up now if you want; you probably should rest after traveling. It’s up the stairs to the right.” He opened the fridge and pulled out the beef, sauces, and a few other items for the curry and placed them on the countertop.

“Nah, I’d rather hang out down here. If you _insist_ on cooking, then I’m staying to help.”

Yu shot him a disarming smile. “Don’t know whether to thank you or shoo you away.”

“Oooh, I see how it is,” Yosuke laughed.

“I’m kidding,” Yu joined in. “Thanks, Yosuke. It would be nice to have another hand around here once in a while.”

Yosuke began picking up and studying all the ingredients Yu was pulling together in the kitchen, observing each one as if he were checking to make sure the two of them weren’t missing anything important.

Yu rolled his eyes as he placed his big pot on the burner. “You’re not fooling anyone, Yosuke.”

“ _I know what goes into curry_ ,” he sneered back, checking another jar of spices.

“Then can you pass the flour, please?” Yu asked sweetly, grabbing a cooking spoon. He turned around to grab it from (what he expected to be) Yosuke’s outstretched hand but instead ended up with his nose and cheeks completely covered by a puff of white powder.

 

They were covered in flour by the end of the night, but, miraculously, _did_ manage to complete - and thoroughly consume - Yu’s curry. Yu had rarely seen a totally destroyed kitchen, even living in Inaba with Nanako (she was a tidy child and too patient to make many messes), so having to spend an hour cleaning was a new experience. At least when the girls cooked in Dojima’s house there was usually a house full of people there to help clean.

“I have regrets,” Yosuke bemoaned, as he sprayed a section of countertop that he’d apparently missed and wiped up another spot of flour with the dishrag.

“You’re just saying that because you lost.” Yu was working on the stove, himself. The curry sauce that had escaped into the burners was going to smoke up his entire house if he didn’t scrub them clean now.

“How did  _I_ lose? Look at you!” Yosuke refuted - all 5 feet, 10 inches of him with smears of flour over every stitch and seam, speckled across his t-shirt, his neck, over the bridge of his lightly freckled nose, caked on his pants and socks. And he had the audacity to claim _Yu_ looked any worse? Yu was certainly dusted in the stuff, but . . . he stopped scrubbing for a second and looked down over his own clothes, turned around to look at Yosuke, his own clothes again, Yosuke, his clothes . . . okay. They were probably even. He wasn’t going to give up, though.

“You ‘lose’ because you ran out of flour,” he argued, heedless of the facts.

“Actually, _you_ ran out of flour - it’s your kitchen!” Yosuke countered. “You’re just a sore loser.” He went back to wiping vigorously at the countertop where specks of white stubbornly lingered.

Yu took exception to that. He threw down his rag directly onto the burner he was scrubbing and turned around to face Yosuke. “Sore loser?” he repeated, closing the short distance between himself and his dear friend.

“That’s right,” Yosuke grinned cockily. He shifted his stance a tiny bit, which upset the top layer of flour that dusted his hair and sent some of it tumbling over his shoulders. “You’ve got way more flour on you. I barely got touched.” He folded his arms, sending even _more_ flour flying.

Yu inhaled deeply, tongue smoothing over his teeth behind tight lips. Smoothly, he reached up and swiped two fingers across the bridge of Yosuke’s nose and down his freckled cheek, immediately displaying the results to Yosuke’s wide and incredibly endearing stare.

Yosuke blinked at Yu’s fingers a few times, a deep red hue flaring into those flour-dusted cheeks of his. Then he winced. “Okay, maybe we’re even.” He tentatively met Yu’s eyes with a hopeful, pleading expression.

Yu, quite satisfied with that - they always were even after all - met Yosuke’s gaze and curtly nodded, his smile quickly fading as he realized how near they were.

Like this, standing mere inches away from him, it was impossible for Yu to resist lingering on the natural rise and fall of his friend’s body as he inhaled nervous breaths, how the flour that caked his forehead, his nose, the apples of his cheeks, masked the distinctive marks of maturity that came with being eighteen. Little time had passed anyway, but Yosuke suddenly very much looked sixteen again, unremoved from the boy he first met and still as magnetic and free-spirited, his energy still as potent as it had been on that fateful April day. He was covered in flour (which now littered his floor) yet looking at Yu like he was completely content to do so for the rest of his life, which Yu realized was more than perfectly fine by him.

And it was like this, standing mere inches away from him, that Yu was struck with a new truth.

“We should shower,” he said, only it came out barely a whisper, as his lips refused to enunciate. His heart was hammering in his chest as he saw his words register in Yosuke’s eyes (much darker than they were in the sun, like pools of scorched caramel).

His friend swallowed and failed to tear his gaze away, and Yu noticed him try to nod, faintly. Yu’s eyes drifted to focus on Yosuke’s lips - softly parted and so close - and could hear him struggling to keep his breathing steady. A sock slid over the hard tile as one of their bodies shifted, bringing those lips even closer - too close to pull away from.

The warmth in Yosuke’s lips was matched only by the warmth that shot through Yu’s stomach when they finally made contact. His heart slammed into his ribs as the rest of him froze, as Yosuke cautiously pressed their mouths together, as Yu realized they were _actually_ kissing - right in the middle of his kitchen on the flour-coated floor.  

Yosuke exhaled against him, tilting his head just as Yu tilted his own, both of them nudging each other’s mouths open eagerly, in quiet exploration, hands tightly gripping their partner’s clothes in a heavenly mix of fear and excitement. Yu felt a tiny whimper escape his throat, which caused Yosuke to gasp into the kiss and press forward suddenly to take Yu’s lips between his teeth.

Unfortunately - or, fortunately, for Yu’s heart - the movement caused another avalanche of flour to tumble off both of their heads and down between them, which was promptly sucked up both of their noses. They broke away in a coughing fit, half-sneezing and shaking with laughter.

“We really should shower, huh?” Yosuke laughed, just as he coughed.

Yu coughed into his fist and nodded. “I think that might be good,” he choked out through another series of coughs.

“Or should we clean this mess up first?” Yosuke looked around the room like he was at a loss. The dishes were finished and the food had been put away, but they still had nearly an entire bag of flour to clean up, not to mention the stove Yu had abandoned.

“We’ll just get more flour everywhere at this point. That’s probably why you were scrubbing the same spot on the counter all this time.” Yu gestured behind Yosuke to the countertop still littered with specks of flour, almost as dirty as when Yosuke started.

Yosuke glanced at it and turned back sheepishly. “Yep, should have figured that.”

Tentatively, Yu reached forward and curled his fingers into Yosuke’s palm, who looked down at their hands and smiled warmly, the flour that remained on his cheeks not thick enough to hide his blush.

“Shower, then,” Yu said.

Yosuke nodded once. “And . . . after that?” He peered into Yu’s eyes inquisitively, newfound confidence etched into his brow.

And it was Yu’s turn to blush and look away. “Talk?” he suggested.

“Sounds good,” Yosuke agreed. “I _might_ have a lot to say,” he chuckled, which made Yu chuckle, too.

“That may be true for both of us.”

They looked at each other for several seconds, eyes tracing the features of their faces while Yu’s mind raced incessantly. He and Yosuke had just kissed in his kitchen. All the feelings Yu hadn’t been able to parse for months suddenly presented themselves so clearly, just like his old glasses in the fog. All at once, he felt liberated from the misery he’d woven around himself like a cocoon since coming back to Tokyo - a place that was finally starting to feel alive with good memories. It still wasn’t Inaba, not by a long shot, but it was a start.

Yu chuckled to himself and leaned in to peck Yosuke gently on the cheek, slotting their fingers together. Yosuke looked surprised but then broke out in a dopey grin that he didn’t even bother trying to hide, much to Yu’s amusement.

He really wanted to kiss him again, but that just meant that they desperately needed to get their showers in. Otherwise, well . . . Yu’s bed may end up looking like the kitchen.

“So, do you have anything this exciting planned for tomorrow?” Yu asked as he led Yosuke toward the stairs by their joined hands.

Yosuke shuffled behind him, his socks sliding along the floor and probably picking up more flour. He laughed mischievously. “I do now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are much appreciated! (it really makes all the hard work worth it you have noooo idea.) you can also find me [here](http://livefreeordie13.tumblr.com/) on tumblr where i post smallish, fluff & nsfw shortfics, headcanons, and things.


	9. Rev Me Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 11/12: Gift
> 
> (Yu finally buys Yosuke the motorcycle of his dreams and Yosuke takes them both for a ride. this is undoubtedly the porniest title i've come up with for a non-porn story.) 
> 
> No real warnings here, but if you're afraid of riding a motorcycle or speed in general, might want to skip this one.

Yu Narukami didn’t have many fears - but Yosuke Hanamura, his best friend and life partner, finally owning the “badass” motorcycle of his dreams was, unfortunately, one of them.

To discover that Yosuke’s fascination with motorcycles had grown so considerably from the days when he simply thought they were a cool way to get chicks was a surprise all on its own. Yosuke wasn’t obsessed with them by any stretch, but once the hobby of collecting magazines and window shopping evolved into several consecutive riding lessons which he’d been assured were “totally safe!”, Yu knew it was serious. And, despite all of Yosuke’s efforts, that was probably where his fear started.

It wasn’t a potent fear; it wasn’t a worry that kept him up at night. It manifested only as a vaguely unsettling feeling in the center of his stomach, usually when he pictured the machine finally parked on their street, or being handed the keys by the salesman, or (the real crux of it) Yosuke _actually riding it_. Not too bad, as fears went. Really, he would have never known about it if it wasn’t for their current circumstances. Lots of people didn’t like to think of their loved ones riding motorcycles; he wasn’t alone . . .

But it did bother him. And it bothered him that it bothered him. But Yu wasn’t about to let that stop him from going through with his plan to get Yosuke the “dream motorcycle” that his boyfriend had been pining for since teenagerhood. His salary as a gifted associate at his firm in Tokyo was finally allowing him to build a secure life for the two of them, well-earned after years of steep and overwhelming debt (which they’d survived in large part _because_ of Yosuke).

He deserved this. His _partner_ deserved this - after sticking with him through life and death practically since the day they met; after they’d grown and left their life of danger and Yosuke began working multiple jobs just so they wouldn’t end up homeless while Yu earned his degree; after going out of his way to learn to cook, proofread law papers, miraculously scrounge up the funds for bills, bring him lunch when he forgot it, and otherwise fill every gap Yu created in the virtuous pursuit of his law career. Basically, _no one_ deserved anything more than Yosuke deserved _his_ bike, and nothing (certainly not his own minuscule fear) was going to stop his amazing boyfriend from getting it.

 _That_ was Yu’s mantra. When the spark of worry flared in his belly, he visualized the smile on Yosuke’s face as his partner sat on his very own bike for the first time, the warmth blossoming in the apples of his freckled cheeks, the sheer adoration in his eyes, and that was enough. That would at least get Yu to the dealership.

One detail of the situation that helped ease Yu into the reality was that buying the bike wasn’t going to be a total surprise. Yu had been too nervous about it to keep it in, so he brought it up to Yosuke in the most casual way possible:  after sex. Yosuke had been thrilled, naturally. Being asked if you wanted a motorcycle after having an orgasm was probably an amazing feeling, if that was your kind of thing. After Yosuke had asked if Yu was “absolutely sure” for the thousandth time, he found the magnificent burst of life in his boyfriend’s eyes to be well worth it. Seeing his boyfriend this excited was definitely _his_ kind of thing.

The first step was letting Yosuke take the time to amalgamate his research into a solid idea of what he wanted to buy. Yu took it from there and did his own hunting, eventually securing the right bike at the right price at a nearby dealership, finalizing all the paperwork, and obtaining the keys. Yu’s license was still in effect, but he wasn’t about to be the first one to ride _Yosuke’s_ motorcycle, so he had it delivered instead. It was a brisk day when the bike finally arrived - the exact date of which was the only _real_ surprise Yosuke would receive.  

He had arranged so that the bike was delivered while Yosuke was still at work, simply guiding it to hide behind the gate (not invisible, but not immediately noticeable to a tired and overworked guy). He woke up early the following morning and rolled it out in plain view on their walkway, scurrying inside from the early fall breeze to wake up Yosuke.

His partner was still dead asleep even though it was well past time for him to get moving. Yu couldn’t feel too guilty about stirring him, which he did by sitting on the edge of the bed and smoothing back his unruly bangs.

“Hey. Sleepy-head.” He placed a gentle kiss to his brow. “Yosuke.”

“Hmnghm.”

Yu kissed him again. “Wake up.”

Yosuke groaned.

His hair was so soft in the morning; sometimes it made Yu jealous. “It’s almost 10am.”

“Mmngso . . . ?”

“You have a lot to do today.”

That caused Yosuke to stir a little out of pure confusion. He raised his head and sat up on one elbow, blinking at Yu blearily. “What? It’s my day off.” Yu smiled at the sleep in Yosuke’s eyes as he began to fully sit up. “What do we have going on?”

Yu gave him a telling grin, and the sleep in Yosuke’s eyes vanished as soon as he realized what it meant.

“Holy shit,” he mumbled, throwing off the covers and all but bowling Yu over as he scrambled to their closet to get out his motorcycle gear. Between Yosuke’s motorcycle research and Yu’s final plunge to purchase one, Yosuke’s birthday had come and gone. Both of them decided his birthday present should be to shop for all the necessary accessories for his future bike so that Yosuke could ride it right away. Buying all of it had certainly helped to keep Yu from chickening out, too.

In a matter of mere seconds, Yosuke was fully decked in his most durable pair of jeans, his shiny boots, his used leather jacket (courtesy of Dojima), and had his helmet dangling at his side. His enthusiasm wasn’t the only thing that caught Yu’s attention. Yosuke looked _dangerously_ attractive dressed like that. But there was no time for him to be indulging in the proportions of the jacket to Yosuke’s lithe hips or the slight broadening of his shoulders, and especially the shape of his ass in those jeans he never wore often enough, so he cleared his throat and stood up.

“Ready?”

Nothing - certainly not Yosuke’s track record for presents - could have prepared Yu for the way his boyfriend reacted when he finally laid eyes on the prize on their front porch. As soon as they stepped outside, Yosuke’s enthusiasm, brimming seconds ago, suddenly fizzled. Yu thought something might be wrong, but as he studied Yosuke’s face closer, he noticed a tiny, awestruck smile had formed.

He calmly approached the perched bike, its chromed metal detailing shining coolly in the overcast autumn light, and took a long, slow tour around it. His eyes roved reverently over the entire surface, from the front wheel to the tailpipe. Only when he had taken in every beautiful, high-polished inch did he stop in front of Yu and smile brightly, his eyes glazed over in disbelief and his heart clearly pounding with joy.

“Don’t tell me I got the wrong one,” Yu teased, crossing his arms.

“Come take a ride with me,” Yosuke said breathlessly, the dopey smile on his face only growing bigger. “Please.”

Yu’s grin fell and he stared at Yosuke slack-jawed. “Uh, wh-”

“I know you feel weird about me riding alone, so _come with me_ ,” Yosuke insisted, taking a step closer so their faces were only inches apart. The fire in his eyes was catching, Yu had to admit, and he honestly wanted to let it consume him. “Let’s go, partner.”

Maybe it was the boots and the fact that Yu was in only socks, but Yosuke actually seemed _taller_ as he spoke, the jacket and the energy swirling around him widening his stature to a noticeable degree. It made Yu feel diminutive in comparison, defenseless against the smell of his boyfriend in leather and the pull of his infectious grin. Also, immensely aroused.

“O-okay,” Yu heard himself squeak.

Yosuke exhaled happily. “Great! Go get dressed. I’ll turn her on.”

Yu blinked. “‘ _Her_ ’?”

His question was quickly drowned out by the sound of a roaring engine, however, as Yosuke straddled the bike and perched himself on the impeccably stitched leather seat. “Go!” he shooed joyfully.

Reluctantly, Yu wrenched his eyes away from the glorious vision in front of him and rushed to obey.

 

He didn’t have a leather jacket, so he improvised, donning a thick, waist-length winter coat (with a scarf, for good measure), a sturdy pair of boots he’d bought in Inaba, and jeans that essentially matched Yosuke’s. His partner seemed to approve of his attire, anyway, giving him a warm smile as Yu approached his boyfriend still mounting the bike like it was perfectly normal and not incredibly distracting. The sight of the helmet on his head, though, ebbed Yu’s excitement. This was really going to happen. He was . . . was he nervous?

“You excited, partner?” Yosuke handed Yu his own helmet which he then slipped on.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” he answered wearily, chuckling. “Our old scooters can’t go as fast as a real motorcycle.” He carefully straddled the seat behind Yosuke (very roomy, not like a scooter at all) and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“You’ll be having the time of your life in a few minutes. I promise.” Yosuke called out to him over the sound of the engine that was now steadily growing louder as he fed the lines enough gas to get the bike moving. He slowly backed it out of the porch and onto the narrow residential side street, skillfully avoiding the neglected potholes that lined their sidewalk.

Yu’s range of vision was limited with the full helmet, but not so much that he couldn’t see where they were going. He started to feel a little less uneasy about the ride, realizing they were going to be in a cramped city and nowhere Yosuke could go too fast.

“I’m going to drive around in the city for a few minutes and see how she handles, but after that, I wanna hit the highway.”

 _Oh, n-_ “Y-Yosuke, are you sure about that?”

“Don’t worry, partner. You’re safe with me.”

Yu huffed, annoyed, his breath inside the helmet already too warm. “I know that,” he answered, quickly biting his tongue on the part of the sentence that expressed what his _real_ fear was. He squeezed his arms around Yosuke’s ribs to get the point across. Yosuke squawked in mock pain and laughed.

“Just making sure you know I’ll take gooood care of you,” he cooed.

“Drive, Hanamura,” Yu ordered, which was answered by another laugh.

Yu expected them to start going, so he was surprised when Yosuke paused and looked back over his shoulder at him.

“Hey,” he said, his voice oddly serious for how excited he was. “You know I won’t _really_ go anywhere you don’t want us to, right?”

He sighed heavily, taking a second to hear what Yosuke was trying to tell him. “I know, Yosuke,” Yu repeated softly. “Just be careful.”

“Yes, sir!” Yosuke replied as he revved the engine and eased off the brake, and soon they were on a (thankfully) reasonably-paced drive through the streets of their peaceful neighborhood.

The tour of their nook of Tokyo was surprisingly pleasant, very similar to their scooter rides as teenagers. Yosuke was a total natural on the bike, and if Yu hadn’t known him so intimately for so long, he would have assumed Yosuke had been riding a real motorcycle for years. He was able to put his mind completely at ease once they successfully navigated a few blocks, and took his opportunity to view the city in ways he hadn’t before, enjoying the feeling of the cool wind whipping across his helmet and the familiar, warm shape of Yosuke’s waist in his arms. He wanted to lean his chin on Yosuke’s shoulder, but that was unfortunately impossible for a few reasons, the bulky fit of their helmets being one.

After they had been riding for about half an hour, Yosuke made a less familiar turn into a section of town that told Yu all he needed to know about their next destination. Yosuke directed a lingering glance at him over his shoulder. The sheen off the helmet’s visor shielded his eyes from view, but Yu knew what that glance meant. Yosuke was easing his pace as they leaned into a wide turn, going even slower than he had on the cramped city roads. He was checking on him, making sure that Yu understood perfectly where they were about to go and giving him ample time to change their course.

Yu responded by tightening his already secure hold around Yosuke’s midsection, pressing a little closer so their jeans brushed. Yosuke glanced at Yu again and, apparently satisfied with that response, proceeded to the on-ramp. Yu felt his stomach clench with the beginnings of fear and excitement as they quickly picked up speed. It was only a _little_ faster than they had been going, but already, Yu could feel how exposed his body was to the unforgiving cut of the wind currents ripping around them. He didn’t intentionally clench his fingers into Yosuke’s jacket, but once he noticed, he didn’t stop.

They eventually entered onto a flat, semi-rural stretch of the highway flanked on both sides by the occasional building or two and gas station. This was a part of the outer-limits of the city that Yu only ever saw when he rode out to Inaba, and it looked almost unrecognizable on the bike as opposed to how it did on the train. He appreciated that Yosuke seemed to want to keep a steady pace, even out here on the open road; it was giving Yu plenty of time (just as it had in the city) to appreciate his surroundings. He wished he could talk to Yosuke about some of this, but with the noise of the wind in their ears, the effort would be futile.

As they neared the far end of this section of town and the buildings became even sparser, Yosuke steadily increased their speed. It might not have been much, but it was enough that Yu felt the laws of physics begin to work against him. His fingers gripped the leather jacket even tighter than before while his heart rose into the back of his throat to join the chorus of the engine within the wind. It felt like they were hurtling through the air and could be jettisoned off their seats at any minute. Yu challenged himself to look down at the road directly beneath his footrests and instantly regretted it when he saw how _fast_ they were going. It was actually incredible; he’d never gone this fast on something this small, this open. The only thing Yu could compare it to was being in a train, maybe, or plane accelerating before takeoff on a runway; he was almost waiting for the tires to gently lift themselves off the road and fly away.

He tucked himself in even closer to Yosuke (he hoped he wasn’t restricting his movements), until he could feel the vibrations from the bike thrumming through the other man’s body. To his surprise, they were now going even faster, so fast that he stopped caring about how awkward his helmet was and burying it on Yosuke’s shoulder anyway. Beneath his palm, he could also feel the other man’s heart, how hard and fierce it was beating - just as hard and fierce as his own. His partner’s blood must be racing, adrenaline spreading into his limbs like a wildfire. Yu could guess because Yu was feeling it, too, succumbing to the same exhilaration, the same twinge of terror that screamed alongside the undeniable rush of pure thrill that soared through his veins.

Yu’s head was buzzing with the speed and sound of the wind, and so he didn’t notice they were slowing down until the current slowly began losing its intensity. He opened his eyes and saw that they had reached a barren intersection of highway where only lone stop signs stood as the closest man-made structures in sight. Yosuke pulled off onto the shoulder of the road, the gravel beneath the tires crunching angrily. The air seemed so still and so _hot_ now that it wasn’t trying to rip him from his seat, which was Yu’s first indication that he was sweating copiously.

Yosuke turned off the engine, the tremble of the bike between his thighs that he’d grown used to suddenly dying.  
  
“Get up,” Yosuke directed, and Yu rushed to comply.

His legs felt like absolute jelly but they kept him up. His skin felt odd and tingly all over, and his heart was still racing. He freed himself from the helmet and scarf, panting, wishing he could rip off his coat to follow.

Yosuke got off the bike a second later, kicked the stand, and removed his own helmet. “Are you okay, partner?” he asked in obvious alarm. He approached Yu with an outstretched hand that immediately went to hold his shaking arm.

Seeing Yosuke’s familiar face, his gorgeous hair wild and mussed, only fueled the tremors surging through Yu’s body. He rushed forward and took his mouth, knocking him back a few paces. Yosuke grunted and snapped an arm around him, instantly letting Yu have free reign to force open his lips and thrust in his tongue, winding and needy and demanding. After a second, Yu felt Yosuke respond, albeit with less fervor and instead happily pliant, responsive, and even offering up a few faint moans which Yu greedily devoured.

He pulled away only when it became difficult to breathe; his coat really was stifling. Yosuke needed to catch his breath, too, from the look of it. His mouth was red raw, lips puffy from having been pulled between Yu’s teeth.

“Are you okay?” he asked again, as if only to be sure, as his voice carried none of the alarm from earlier. His eyes were serious, though, especially with how they squinted from the wind and glare.

Yu smiled too smugly for how fast his heart raced. “I am.”

“Okay,” Yosuke mumbled, cleary unconvinced. “It’s just - you were gripping onto me really tight and I thought you were freaking out.”

Yu shook his head, but then nodded at the last minute. “I wasn’t - I mean, I _was_ , but-” he took a deep breath- “not in a bad way.”

A small, cautious smile broke out over Yosuke’s face. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.” He was starting to catch his breath now as his heart fell back into its regular rhythm. He leaned in and took Yosuke’s mouth in his again - this time much more gently. “You’re just really hot,” he whispered. Yosuke snickered and they kissed tenderly for several peaceful seconds, with Yu holding Yosuke’s face close to his, both their hair blowing in the crisp fall wind.

“So, you weren’t scared, then?” Yosuke asked him when they pulled away.

Yu rolled his eyes. “I was never scared for _me_ ,” he said lamely.

Yosuke gave him a guilty look which made Yu divert his gaze to both their boots. “It’s okay, though.” He looked up to meet his eyes again. “It really is,” he said resolutely, his voice reflecting the calm tone he used to use years ago when their lives were routinely at stake. “You ride well, Yosuke.”

Yosuke’s shoulders settled and he sighed in relief. “Thanks,” he whispered.

Yu stepped back to give Yosuke a full, unabashed once-over. “You pull off that look nicely, too.”

Yosuke balked and looked down at himself. “I do?” A pinkish color rose into his cheeks.

Yu chuckled, stepping back into him. “Very much,” he purred, pressing another warm kiss to his lips.

Yosuke’s dopey grin from earlier returned, made more charming by the blush. “I guess this means you had fun, then.” He smiled proudly as he pressed their foreheads together.

Fun, Yu thought, and quirked his eyebrows. “That’s a word for it.”

Their next kiss started a second fire in their stomachs. Yu eased his tongue past Yosuke’s lips, reaching as far back as he could go and pulling out another moan, this one throatier.

Yosuke pulled his lips away slickly, the flush of arousal now dusting both of their cheeks. “You’re . . . not trying to get me to have sex with you on my bike, are you?” he asked wearily.

Yu’s eyes went wide. “Is that an option?”

“ _Partner_ ,” Yosuke warned, and Yu instantly deflated.

They ended up skipping sex on the bike ( _that_ day, at least), but an hour later, their bed was not so lucky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i haven't ridden on a motorcycle in like 15 years. 
> 
> i know i'm lagging a bit, but comments and kudos are much appreciated! (it really makes all the hard work worth it.) you can also find me [here](http://livefreeordie13.tumblr.com/) on tumblr where i post smallish, fluff & nsfw shortfics, headcanons, and things.


	10. Fix

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 11/13: Cuddling
> 
> (it's been a while since they've had a night to themselves)

Lounging was not something Yu got a chance to do often. Lounging with _Yosuke_ was even rarer. Yu was only going to be in Inaba for a little over a week, which naturally meant his schedule was about as busy as it had been when he’d lived here for an entire year. He didn’t have school, jobs, or the TV world to conquer, thankfully, but his friends were tripping over themselves to soak up every bit of time he had, only relinquishing their hold where time with Nanako and Dojima was concerned.

His time with Yosuke wasn’t getting as much respect as it should have, in Yu’s humble opinion, but he felt he couldn’t be too hard on them. Their relationship was still very new to them, to all of them (relative to the strict friendship portion of their lives, anyway), and Yu knew it would take some getting used to. It didn’t help that he and Yosuke treated each other much as they always had when they were in public. It was hard for their friends to remember that he and Yosuke might need some, um . . .”alone time”, just as it was difficult for Yosuke and Yu to speak up for themselves when they wanted some.

In any case, tonight was a rare treat. Both Yu and Yosuke had managed to convince an insistent Chie, Rise, and Teddie that because they _were_ in fact a couple - despite the lack of PDA to show for it - that they _would_ indeed like to have a bit of private time for one night. It had made them all blush (including said couple), but the discomfort had been worth it. Yosuke was here, after all, and currently preparing them both some tea while Dojima was out working and Nanako was already tucked in for the evening.

Yu was flipping through the channels for a boring show or movie to veg out to. Like a true taskmaster, his plan for their first evening alone together in months was to have _zero_ plans. Just a night of warm tea, the quiet hum of the television, and his partner curled up at his side. Yu’s heart fluttered just thinking of it, his sweater-draped, sweatpant-dragging, socked boyfriend folded up into his arms, the smell of his shampoo inches from Yu’s nose. Or, maybe Yosuke would wrap an arm around his shoulders and pull him in close, and Yu would lose himself to the sound of his partner’s gentle heartbeat beneath a cotton sweater, the blaring television completely forgotten as he drifted off to the soothing, slow drum against his ear.

A hiss from the kitchen yanked him out of his reverie. He stood up, abandoning the remote, and made his way toward the source of the sudden noise. “Need help?”

Yosuke pulled a knuckle out of his mouth, shaking his hand. “Nah, sorry,” he groaned, reinserting the evidently injured joint into his mouth. “I just grabbed the mug wrong.”  

“Can I see?” Yu asked, offering Yosuke his hand in the hopes that he would take it.  

Yosuke huffed a small laugh and removed his knuckle again. “I’m fine,” he insisted with a smile, even as he gave Yu his hand anyway.

Yu examined the small red splotch of skin on Yosuke’s forefinger and quickly determined it wasn’t quite second-degree. “Not bad, but I’ll go grab the ointment.”

Yosuke scoffed playfully and let out another chuckle. He opened his mouth and closed it immediately. After several seconds of silent deliberation, he eventually said, “ . . . okay,” with a guilty shrug of his shoulders and a lopsided grin.

Yu didn’t hide his satisfaction, leaning in to plant a kiss on his boyfriend’s cool forehead (those caramel eyes fluttering closed) before dashing upstairs to retrieve the medicine.

Yu was tremendously grateful Yosuke let him apply it without much fuss. What’s more, Yosuke looked a smidgen embarrassed, so obviously, seeing the blush was completely worth it. Simple gestures of affection to this degree were still fairly new to them - although, healing a wound could hardly be considered uncharted territory for them.

“You know, this isn’t much different from all those times in the TV World,” Yu observed slyly. Yosuke rolled his eyes, his tiny grin betraying him, and said nothing as Yu finished up and screwed the little cap back on the tube of ointment. “There, all done.”

“Thanks, Partner,” Yosuke mumbled warmly as he examined his hand.

After throwing the medicine on the kitchen table, Yu stepped up into Yosuke’s personal space and gave him an overly pleased smirk, which Yosuke could only respond to with a smirk of his own and a short, tender kiss. He had a shy, humble expression on his face that Yu could have stared at all evening, if he were honest. “Ready to make it up to me?” he whispered, enjoying the look of excitement that flittered over Yosuke’s face.

“How so?” his boyfriend drawled, a lazy grin re-emerging over his wide mouth.

“Not in the way you’re obviously thinking,” he chuckled, releasing both of Yosuke’s hands that he’d curled his fingers around during their brief kiss. He made his way back into the living room and onto Dojima’s couch, patting the spot next to him.

Yosuke made a face and turned around to retrieve both their (now a quite a bit cooler, but still drinkable) mugs of ready tea, steadily crossing into the Dojima living room and handing Yu his mug. “Should have figured,” Yosuke groaned in mock resignation.

“And what exactly did you have in mind with Nanako sleeping 15 yards away?” Yu sipped his perfectly prepared tea with a contented sigh.

Yosuke eased himself into the cushions of the couch, wary of the burn on his finger. “Maybe something a couple might be excited to do after being apart for months?” He blew on his tea once before taste-testing it, smacking his lips at the strong peach flavor.

It was Yu’s turn to roll his eyes now. “Like I’d be able to keep you quiet enough,” he murmured into his mug.

“Hey!” Yosuke whined, dramatically lowering the pitch of his voice near the end with a wince.

Yu nudged Yosuke’s upright knee with his upright knee, pressed shoulder-to-shoulder. The tea was warm, his pajamas were warm, and Yosuke’s body next to his was _really_ warm, and Yu chose to direct his next thought elsewhere. “Why don’t we just cuddle tonight?” he suggested.

“Hmmm, I could live with that,” Yosuke winked.

But to Yu’s surprise, Yosuke rose to his feet just as delicately as he’d sat down, placing his mug on the table and grabbing a pillow from the other side of the couch. Silently, he held the pillow in front of him and eyed Yu expectedly, and when it became clear that the brunet was expecting his baffled partner to . . . perhaps _do_ something, Yu vaguely opened his arms and held his mug away from his person, only a faint comprehension of Yosuke’s intent dawning on him.

Yosuke tossed the pillow in Yu’s lap, crawled back onto the sofa, and plopped his head down, his fine hair splaying out against the blue floral pattern. Yu grunted with the sudden drop of Yosuke’s head in his lap while his partner let out a carefree sigh.

“ _This_ is your idea of cuddling?”

Yosuke opened his eyes and his eyebrows knitted in confusion. “What do you mean? I’ve got my head in your lap. This counts.” He looked completely serious and it made Yu want to laugh.

“Me giving you a scalp massage is _not_ cuddling,” Yu informed him, despite _kind_ of not minding the idea of feeling his soft, wispy hair threaded through his fingers.

A disappointed frown tipped the corner of his mouth. “Well what did _you_ have in mind, then?” he asked.

Yu made a frustrated noise and pressed his knees up into the pillow until Yosuke felt it and sat up. “ _Real_ cuddling,” he reiterated, bending down to place his mug on the floor and then planting the pillow into Yosuke’s chest. “With your arms wrapped around me.”

“I have to wrap my arms around you?” he complained, even as a grin formed where the annoyed frown once was.

Yu pouted. “Yes.”

Yosuke sighed heavily and rolled his eyes, tossing the pillow on the floor and scooting up until he was pressed right up against Yu. He wrapped his arm around Yu’s shoulders, just as Yu had been imagining him doing earlier, and tugged him close so that Yu’s shoulder pressed securely into the other boy’s rib and Yosuke was nosing Yu’s hair, pressing faint kisses into it.

“See,” Yu mumbled, leaning into another kiss from that warm mouth against his scalp. “This is nice.”

“I guess.” Yosuke’s voice was muffled from his face being buried in Yu’s hair, but Yu heard him perfectly clear and snickered.

Yu hummed as Yosuke’s kisses traveled along his hairline and down over his temple. “You’re good at cuddling,” he praised, moving his head further up as Yosuke’s kisses trailed over his jawline. It felt so nice, Yosuke’s soft lips brushing over a part of his body that hadn’t been kissed in months. It was causing Yu to rapidly forget his original plan of having “zero” plans, actually, as Yosuke peppered fresh kisses even further along his jaw.

When Yosuke smoothly took Yu’s mouth between his lips a second later, Yu forgot entirely what compliment he was going to shower Yosuke with next. His partner’s warmth held him captive, his lips gently pulling Yu’s apart like putty, sweeping him up with a level of tenderness and care that Yu realized he’d been starving for since their last night alone together over the summer.

He was suddenly so desperately sad that he was only going to get one night of it until the next time. He’d have only this to live off of, all alone in his bedroom in Tokyo, miles away from the mouth and voice and presence of his best friend, of _Yosuke_.

Yu pulled his mouth away out of what had to be instinct, as he hadn’t realized until now how breathless he was. His face felt hot as he took in the sight of Yosuke’s cheeks stained bright red and his jaw trembling in excitement.

“Sorry,” Yosuke panted. “I didn’t mean to get so-”

“It’s fine,” Yu rushed to assure him, fingers raking up Yosuke’s chest and combing through his fine, silky hair. Yosuke’s jaw dropped with a broken gasp and Yu pulled him forward. “Just keep your voice down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> very ... slowly catching up. :D;;;; any comments and kudos are much appreciated! (it really makes all the hard work worth it.) you can also find me [here](http://livefreeordie13.tumblr.com/) on tumblr where i post smallish, fluff & nsfw shortfics, headcanons, and things.


	11. Milk Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 11/16: Inaba
> 
> (decided to make a sad little story about yosuke's inaba life and then i lost my mind.)

Eighth, Yu counted in his head. This was the eighth time that Yosuke hadn’t let Yu pay for a single thing, and he was beginning to feel a mix of frustration and bewilderment. Yu couldn’t rely on his past experiences of friendship before moving to Inaba as a means to determine how odd Yosuke’s behavior was, but he knew for certain that it wasn’t _him_. Taking turns and staying even was a part of friendship, wasn’t it? And he and Yosuke certainly were, that much Yu could be assured.

Yu ended up blurting it out over their canned milk teas as they walked out of the Shiroku convenience store one afternoon, crassly interrupting their companionable silence. “Why do you do that?”

Yosuke forcefully swallowed his sip while giving him a puzzled expression. “Do what?” Then, slight mortification smoothed over the crease in his brows. “Oh, d-did I do something weird in the store?”

“No, no, no, nothing like that,” Yu rushed to assure him. Yosuke looked alleviated but still confused. “Why do you insist on paying?”

Yosuke’s eyebrows lifted. But he didn’t respond, so Yu figured he should elaborate. Was it possible Yosuke just hadn’t realized how often he’d done it? Yu certainly didn’t want to embarrass him, but the constant deferment of his own monetary contributions was beginning to hurt his feelings.

“We’ve been going out a lot after school lately and you never let me pay - not since you covered my steak skewers three weeks ago. Is that on purpose?” He tried to keep his voice as neutral as possible, but it didn’t seem to be helping Yosuke stay calm. His breathing was picking up, if only slightly, and his back had straightened as if tense. Yosuke was avoiding looking at him, too, which disturbed Yu to no small degree. They’d come so far, after all, for Yosuke to suddenly lose all of his confidence around him.

“Well, I mean,” Yosuke started, and before it came out of his mouth Yu knew it was going to be an excuse. “It’s just . . . don’t you cover all of our weapons and stuff already? I know I didn’t buy _myself_ those nice shiny kunai,” he stuttered, a faint blush tinting just the apples of his cheeks.

Yu sighed. “So it is on purpose,” he determined, unable to help how deflated he sounded. He studied Yosuke’s blushing face a second longer before continuing, listening to the can crinkling in Yosuke’s nervous grip. “Yosuke, you and I both know that’s a completely separate fund. I have plenty of money from my day jobs for stuff like this,” he insisted, gesturing to all of Shiroku’s with his tea. “So I’d really like to cover us every now and then, if you’d let me.”

He hoped that the uptick in his voice would undo the straight line in Yosuke’s shoulders. Instead, Yosuke worried his bottom lip between his teeth, eyes cast to the cracked sidewalk between them. “I know,” he muttered, then shook his head as he tried to chuckle. “It’s stupid. I should let you pay.”

Yosuke glanced up at him. He still looked tense and worried but at least he was being honest. Yu gave him a small but encouraging smile. Yosuke closed his eyes and sighed, then his foot began tapping to the beat of a familiar song while he appeared to war with himself on how to continue. Yu, having already planned to spend his entire afternoon with Yosuke, wasn’t in any rush.

“It’s really hard to explain,” Yosuke laughed sadly. The encouraging smile on Yu’s face withered into sympathy, but he had no idea what to do, how to help, except to let Yosuke find the path to his words himself. “I just feel like it’s the right thing to do, what with my family bringing in Junes and all.” He looked away, down the road in the direction of his family’s business, toeing the ground with his worn white sneaker as he continued to fidget.

Meanwhile, Yu was stunned into inaction, barely managing to keep a grip on his can. If he were being brutally honest with himself - which he had a tendency to do - he might have assumed Yosuke’s reason had something to do with Yu himself, perhaps a vestigial instinct left over from the dawn of their friendship. Maybe something more than that. Either way, he felt his heart lurch.

Yu had grown used to carrying weight on his own shoulders from a young age; it only became apparent to him when he made friends in Inaba how disproportionate that load was in comparison to theirs. Yu knew, more than denied, that most of those burdens were _his_ doing - staying driven, staying quiet, staying exactly as was expected of him - but, apart from all their missions in the TV world, he’d never lain a heavier one over his own shoulders. The economy of an entire town . . .  

But it felt useless to contemplate, so he let his concerns and any praise or indignation that Yosuke might be expecting rage silently in his gut.

“Like I said it’s _really_ stupid,” Yosuke said, his voice tipped into a plea. “And, I know I don’t have to ask, but . . . could you keep it between us?”

Yu nodded dumbly and tried to pretend his own jaw wasn’t trembling.

“Thanks, partner,” Yosuke smiled, looking a bit sheepish as he smoothed the back of his hair. “I’m actually not surprised you of all people noticed, but . . . I don’t mind,” he said sincerely. “You know just about everything else about me, so.” Yosuke shrugged.

Yu took a sip of his tea to distract himself and managed to shoot Yosuke a grin. “I probably wouldn’t have noticed if we hadn’t been spending so much time together,” he admitted, not catching the suggestion of his words until they were already out and causing Yosuke to stare wide-eyed at him and for his blush to flare. Yu choked on his next sip as he swallowed. “As in, y-you know-”

Yosuke waved his free hand at him. “I-I get it, I get it, don’t worry.” He laughed nervously.

Yu was blushing now for sure; _damn_ his ridiculous crush. He kept talking in a desperate rush to recover himself. “I also noticed that it’s been exactly eight times since you’ve let me pay, so I’d really like to make it up to you, if that’s okay.” He wasn’t sure if that was actually “better”, but it was far too late now.

Yosuke nodded readily. “Yeah, of course. Sorry, partner,” he chuckled.

Yu nodded back gratefully, wisely keeping his mouth shut this time. Oh, that’s right - he still had a tea. Yosuke must have had the same thought, because they both ended up taking long, drawn-out sips from their cans, carefully avoiding eye contact. Yu’s tea ran out first, which was a small torture, because it meant his eyes had to linger over the bob in Yosuke’s adam’s apple for a few seconds.

When Yosuke was done, Yu tentatively reached out and plucked his empty can from his hand, drawing Yosuke’s attention to his face. “I’ll start by getting us both more tea,” he said, ignoring the unsteadiness in his voice.

Yosuke’s eyes lingered over his face before he nodded with a small smile. “Sure.”

Yu immediately extricated himself into the overstuffed aisles of Shiroku’s, stood in front of the cooler for longer than necessary in order to cool his face, and bought them both some more teas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i won't apologize for my constantly blushing protag. canon didn't give us enough.
> 
> any comments and kudos are much appreciated! (it really makes all the hard work worth it.) you can also find me on [tumblr](http://livefreeordie13.tumblr.com/) where i post smallish, fluff & nsfw shortfics, headcanons, and things. and this is my new [twitter](https://twitter.com/) (nothing fancy).


	12. Teriyaki Salmon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 11/18: Birthday
> 
> (Yosuke's birthday plan for Yu doesn't quite go as planned)

Yu’s birthday gift was going to be an absolute wreck. Yosuke knew it. It didn’t matter that he had outdone himself with all his preparations, had worked tirelessly to make sure things would go just right, Yu’s birthday gift was going to be a disaster and it would all be because of _him_.

Yosuke remembered just a few days ago when he’d been so stupidly, blissfully excited about his idea. After toiling around for over a month, wracking his brain trying to figure out what to get his new significant other for his special day - an event they’d never actually celebrated - he thought he’d struck gold when the idea came to him to cook something for Yu.

It hadn’t been in his first idea. His first idea took a nosedive when the two realized Yu wouldn’t have enough money to cover the full ticket to and from Inaba even though it was a quiet time to travel. He’d had to pitch his “date” idea (taking him around Okina, the movies, maybe dinner and coffee) in order to help cover his partner’s return trip to Tokyo. Yosuke hadn’t minded at all, of course; he knew Yu was still struggling to find ways to ask his emotionally distant parents for virtually anything. But it _did_ mean he was back at ground zero thinking of a birthday gift for him.

Yukiko had been the first one to suggest Yosuke make him something, although she seemed to be thinking of having Kanji teach Yosuke how to “craft” a thing, like a scarf or something, which Yosuke didn’t imagine he’d have the patience for so close to the day in question. He did sort of wish he’d thought of that way sooner, since it would be chilly when Yu came down. But a week was nowhere _near_ enough time for Yosuke to make something Yu could actually _use_ and not mourn over with a pitiful, encouraging smile (Yosuke imagined some hideous, half-unraveled, complete failure of a beanie with a lumpy pompom on the crown).  

So cooking just seemed to be the next viable option . . . even though he’d never really . . . cooked . . . in his life.

He did weigh the options, to his credit. Give his partner some unwearable mess of yarn? Or, attempt to make him something to eat? With fire. In a kitchen. With Teddie hovering a few inches away the entire time. It was shit like this that was the reason Yosuke wasn’t a betting man. But he thought if he could just eliminate a few obstacles - Teddie, being the very biggest - that this might not be a bad idea.

The pieces had seemed to fall together right away, too. The day of Yu’s birthday (the day he was scheduled to arrive) was a day Teddie worked, which meant Yosuke could cook something that afternoon and share it with him when he got here. His mom had eagerly agreed to help look over his ingredient list, too. He admitted he got suspicious when he saw _how_ excited she was to help him prepare, but he was too grateful and relieved for the help to let his thoughts linger longer than a few minutes. She always had adored Narukami, after all.

Finding the right dish ended up being even simpler.  It had to be a dish he could make that was good for beginners, yet elegant enough to be enjoyed by Yu’s refined taste buds, and almost right away, he chose Teriyaki Salmon. It was perfect: it required little prep and just a few ingredients for the sauce and, thanks to Yu himself having made it for Yosuke once upon a time, it was the only fish dish that Yosuke had ever finished, before or since.

He’d landed a winner. He was positive that making Yu that specific dish would say _so_ much about what Yu meant to him - much more than Yosuke had ever had the nerve to say with his own mouth, anyway. It was sentimental, easy, and something Yu would actually _eat_ . He had it made. Yu would step off that train, Yosuke would usher him to the overlook with his meal in tow, present his dish spread out on a blanket under a tree in the quiet afternoon, and Yu would give him a huge, rare smile, comment on how good it looked and _tasted_ , and Yosuke would burst into a thousand joyful pieces - oh, but not before they kissed. That would have to come somewhere between the train ride and the food; it had been _way_ too long since they’d done that.

But as sure as the stars had aligned, that was how fast they’d tumbled out of orbit when Yu’s birthday finally came to pass. Teddie had begged not to work that day, and his father - one of the most hardworking, take-no-shit men Yosuke knew - actually _caved_ and let him off. What Yosuke thought was going to be a disaster to his nerves, however, had smoothed out when he’d convinced Teddie to hang with Nanako-chan before it was time to pick Yu up from the station. One minor blow successfully foiled.

The next one, though, sent him spinning:  Yu’s train was going to be over two hours early. That would have normally filled Yosuke with unmitigated glee, but with the creation of Yu’s birthday dish hanging in the balance, the news only served to make his stomach drop. Yu, completely unaware of Yosuke’s careful plan, didn’t get the news to him until later that morning. He’d texted it to him with the most innocent of smiley faces, and Yosuke had laughed nervously as the blood drained out of his face. It meant he had to start cooking _now_ or there was no way he’d make it to the platform on time. His parents were still out, too, which meant he couldn’t ask his mom for help if he ran into a jam.

And that was why Yosuke was here - rushed, unorganized, and drowning under texts from his friends on his whereabouts. The dish was taking much longer to come together than the recipe had promised, which of course ensured that he was now late, which also meant he was being inundated by texts and calls from his friends wondering where the hell he was. He couldn’t find it in himself to answer it so he turned his phone to silent. He knew he’d sound like a nervous wreck, and the last - the _very last_ \- thing Yosuke needed was for any one of them to come over to get him.

He was watching his second, futile attempt at pan-searing salmon (thanking every god that the Junes employee prepping the fish for the shelves gave him a few extra filets to work with) when he heard an unexpected knock on his door. He swore, burned his finger reaching for the stove knob, swore again, and checked his phone.

He ignored the waterfall of messages and focused on the time, which happened to be 15:35 - _way_ past time for Yu’s train to have pulled in. With sinking dread, Yosuke realized that could only mean one thing:  the person at his door was -

“Yosuke?” he heard a smooth voice call from beyond his front door.

Yep, Yu Narukami.

Yosuke groaned and hung his head. He moved the heavy cast-iron pan from the hot burner to a cool one and put his burned knuckle in his mouth. It wasn’t that bad; just icing on the crappy cake, he thought drearily.

“Coming!”

He shuffled across his kitchen tile to the front door, giving his peep hole a precursory glance (that was Yu, all right), before opening it.

Even fresh off the train, Yu looked spectacular. He was in nothing but a simple camel-colored sweater and some jeans, yet he could have easily just stepped off the photoshoot for a magazine with the way his hair fell over his eyes and his bright skin gleamed in the low sunlight.

“Hey,” Yu said simply.

“Hey,” Yosuke replied, slightly captivated by his partner’s form on his front porch.

The gorgeous smile that followed almost made the fretful brunet forget about the fish filet dying in his mother’s good pan 5 yards away . . . _Almost_. He gave him a toothy grin that withered in seconds to a sorry frown. Suddenly more ashamed of himself than delighted to see his partner, Yosuke once again hung his head and groaned.

“What’s wrong?” Yu asked solemnly, which Yosuke instantly regretted hearing and rushed to assuage.

“No, no, it’s fine,” he said, with his hand up to stop him, but Yu was already rather rudely pushing himself through Yosuke’s front door, walking them both back into the family’s entryway. ( _Oh, shit, he smelled good._ ) “I just, I . . .” He glanced with wide eyes into the kitchen.

“What’s that smell? Salmon?” Yu had a firm grip around his shoulder. His face was tipped up in the air as he tried to make out the smell of Yosuke’s dish(es).

“It was _supposed_ to be your birthday present,” Yosuke mumbled irritably. “I didn’t know what to get you, so I thought I’d try my hand at this.” He laughed - a small, plaintive chuckle. “But I screwed it up.”

Somehow, Yosuke was surprised that Yu didn’t miss a beat. “It doesn’t _smell_ screwed up.”

Yosuke looked up at him just as Yu took his hand off his shoulder, toed off his shoes, and moved past him towards the kitchen. “W-wait, wait, Yu, don’t-”

“It looks okay so far.” Yu had made it to the pan and was now holding it. He considered Yosuke’s filet from all angles with a slight tilt of his head. “Did you think you screwed this up?”

Yosuke’s next series of excuses and apologies died on his lips as he gawked at Yu.

“It just needs to cook a little more.”

He stood motionless, like a sputtering car that couldn’t start, frozen by his compulsion to do too many things at once. He should yank the pan out of Yu’s hand and apologize, sincerely, for wasting his time, or try and laugh it off at the very least. But all he could manage in the end was to stand there and stare. He also understood, quite frightfully, that if he tried to laugh or even speak that he might break down in tears.

“Did you already start the sauce?” Yu asked him.

The question should have rung Yosuke’s alarm bells, but instead he found himself nodding and gesturing  to the countertop behind Yu. He’d prepared the teriyaki first since he’d been a little more nervous about that. Strangely, cooking the actual _fish_ was what had screwed him up the most - even though it was arguably the easiest thing in the entire recipe.

As he watched Yu retrieve the small bowl and give it a good stir, he slowly realized that Yu must have figured out what he was making by the spread of ingredients, and possibly even the smell. Both salmon and teriyaki packed quite the punch (although all he could smell himself was the damned fish), and Yu, being so seasoned a cook, must have easily deduced what the dish ought to be. It gave Yosuke yet another moment of pause. Had he really stood a chance of impressing _Yu_ with a dish like that?

“This sauce looks perfect, Yosuke,” Yu said simply and quite sincerely as he placed the bowl down.

Yosuke’s eyebrows went up. “Really?” Well, that shouldn't have surprised him. He’d taste-tested it and everything; it had seemed just right to him, too.

“Yeah,” Yu smiled. “Do you still feel like making it? I’m pretty hungry, actually.”

“Yeah,” Yosuke blurted, _well_ before his brain was actually on board with his answer. “Uh, yeah, yeah sure, um-” He moved from the entryway and back into the kitchen, wedging himself between Yu and the pan. Yu gave a small chuckle and backed up just enough to give Yosuke room, sneaking a hand around his hip. Yosuke huffed out a laugh. “Be careful. I might elbow you.”

“I’ll take that chance,” Yu drawled. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

Yosuke huffed again (shakily) and narrowed his concentration on finishing the fish, despite the blush creeping into his cheeks. Now that the filet had cooled some, he realized that it was only slightly undercooked. He added another few ribbons of oil and set the burner to its hottest temperature. As he waited for the stove to get hot enough again, he let himself indulge in the feeling of Yu’s hand on his waist and his gentle, even breath against the side of his neck. He fought not to lean back into it, and just as he was losing that battle, it was time to set the fish to sear (again).

Yu, eventually removing his presence from behind him to lean innocently against the countertop, didn’t speak or direct him in any way, letting Yosuke judge for himself when the fish was done, when to flip it, and the rest. Yosuke hoped the entire time that the reason he’d been so quiet was because Yosuke had been doing all the right things, but he supposed he was about to find out. He coated the sauce onto the fully cooked filet with a baster and plated it, setting it aside.

He felt good about it. It was pretty - for a salmon dish - and with the glaze from the sauce almost looked as if it had been prepared by a professional. He’d already thrown some rice in the rice cooker so, after his filet was done, the meal would be ready. He realized (much too late) that he’d forgotten a vegetable, but he couldn’t afford to mope about that now, not with his confidence finally gaining traction.

“So, how was the train ride here?” he asked, wondering distantly if he should even try to talk or not.

“It was quiet; I had most of the cabin to myself, actually.”

Yosuke carefully laid the second fish down. It sizzled angrily at him and he rushed to turn the heat a notch lower. “Sorry I missed meeting you at the station,” he groaned. “I had no idea this would take me so long.” _More like ‘be such a disaster’._

“It’s quite alright, Yosuke. I had my hands full with everyone there so, it’s a little nice to be able to see you without . . . all of that.”

They shared a chuckle. “Yeah.” Yosuke delicately peeled the fish from the pan and flipped it, finally feeling a little at ease with his skill. “Where is everyone, anyway? I’m surprised they let you go.”

Yu had his chin in his palm and stood up with a sigh. “It wasn’t easy. But everyone noticed you weren’t there and, knowing about . . . well,” he gestured between the two of them, which Yosuke only caught at the last second, “they figured _I_ should be the one to go and check on you.”

Yosuke scoffed in amusement. “Oh, yeah I turned my phone off. I couldn’t stand them reminding me how late it was getting.”

Yu sighed. It sounded like he had a few words to say but was wisely holding back.

“It’s okay, partner,” Yosuke assured, giving him a pointed look. “This is a hell of my own making.”

“That’s exactly what worries me.”

“Don’t,” Yosuke laughed weakly. “I’m fine now. You’re here, the fish aren’t on fire. I _think_ they’re edible. Let me at least _try_ to make it worth your trip. Okay?”

He turned away before he could fully register the vaguely pained look on Yu’s face, but his partner remained silent as he scooped up the second fish, glazed it, and plated it like the first. He shooed Yu out of the kitchen so he could finish preparing both their plates, asking him only to grab a drink of his choice from the fridge. Yu did so with a loaded grin, then called Dojima to let him know that he would be staying at Yosuke’s for dinner and they would be by in a little while, then texted all their friends the same. Yosuke busied himself with arranging their meals on the wide tray his mother used to carry their food to the table, grabbing chopsticks, napkins, his drink, and forks for good measure.

“My plan was to throw all this in a to-go thing and do a picnic, but . . . well, at least this way, the fish is hot off the pan.”

“A picnic would have been nice, but I agree,” Yu said from his seat at Yosuke’s table.

Yosuke gave a sorry half-grin as he set the tray down and distributed their respective dishes, carefully ensuring Yu got the “prettiest” looking fish while trying not to make a show of it.

“This looks delicious, Yosuke. Thank you,” Yu said with a warm smile. Yosuke gave him a small smile in return, hating how hot his own face felt, and then sat staring at Yu as he broke his chopsticks.

He eventually rushed to break his own chopsticks, and soon they were both digging in. Even though it looked nice enough, Yosuke was still surprised to find the fish on his plate tasted at least similarly to the one Yu cooked for him last year. Something about it was off and he knew he wasn’t skilled enough to know _what_ , exactly, but the sauce was sweet, at least.

He’d managed to swallow an entire bite before all of his attention was sucked back onto Yu as he took his own first bite - one that thankfully resulted in a pleasant hum and nod.

“Excellent,” Yu said, and Yosuke felt himself breathe for the first time since Yu put his hand on his hip in the kitchen.

“I-is it really?”

Yu cast a sincere gaze into his eyes as he said: “It’s perfectly cooked; I couldn’t have done a better job myself, as a matter of fact.”

“Shut up,” Yosuke laughed, looking away immediately since his face was practically on fire now.

“How’s yours?” Yu asked around a small bite.

“Eh, a little weird-tasting, but this was the one that I had to cook twice, so.”

“Hmm. Here, have a bite of mine.” Yu held out the offered piece with his chopsticks for Yosuke to take. He tried not to think too hard about what he was doing as he leaned in to grab it, hyper-aware of the fact that he hadn’t taken a bite of food this way probably since he was a kid.

Embarrassment aside, he could appreciate why Yu had insisted on sharing that with him. This piece was almost perfect, just as the more seasoned cook had insisted. “Mmm, this _is_ good,” he agreed, nothing short of astonished. “I’m glad I gave you the last one I made. I had a feeling it would taste the best.”

The smile Yu imparted on him rivaled only the one he’d greeted Yosuke with earlier at the door. It was so soft and sincere, the crinkle of his eyes and how his laugh lines, freshly-carved from his year in Inaba, slightly deepened. His eyes looked different, too - richer yet illuminated, like something from within him was shining through, a warmth only Yosuke was meant to see.

At once, the guilt from having wasted _so_ much of his time worrying about what Yu might have thought of this asinine birthday meal finally crashed its way through the wall of Yosuke’s anxiety. He quietly lowered his chopsticks and cleared his throat.

“Hey listen,” he started, which caused Yu to lower his own chopsticks in concern. “I wanna apologize. It’s _your_ birthday, but I ended up making it all about myself with this stupid meal and complicated plan. I was so concerned with making this day something special that I totally lost sight of the point of it. I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Yu said earnestly.

“Yu, do me a favor - don’t pretend like that’s true,” he replied as straightforwardly as he could, but couldn’t hold back a guilty chuckle.

“It _is_ though,” Yu retaliated. Yosuke sighed. “Yosuke, honestly? I thought you helping me cover my trip to Inaba to be more than enough of a present in itself.”

“. . . Really? That?” Eleven thousand yen was nothing for Yosuke to sneeze at (it had been his entire date fund, after all), but he hadn’t considered covering the credit for Yu’s train ticket to be all that much of a birthday present; it had been more of a necessity.

“That was a lot of money,” Yu reminded him. “But even if it wasn’t, I didn’t expect something like this,” he said, gesturing to their meal. He sighed a little. “You know, I could tell what you were up to the second I walked in, and while I’m really touched, I also . . . don’t like seeing you worry so much. I can’t say don’t ever _do_ anything for me - I know that would be unfair. We’re a couple.”

They both chuckled and Yosuke dropped his head, muttering, “yeah.”

“But don’t ever think that what you do for me won’t be good enough. It _always_ will be.”

Yosuke groaned and threw his head back. “I knowww, I _know_ you say that but, partner, that’s not how it feels. I’m gonna . . . you know, _worry_ about making sure the things I do for you are done right, that they’re as good as I can make them. I probably _always_ will.”

Yu let out an uneasy sigh that Yosuke chose to ignore.

“And I’m _not_ sorry about that.”  

Yu stayed quiet but gave him a telling look, his mouth in a perfect straight line. Yosuke chose to disregard that, as well.

“But I _am_ sorry for missing your arrival at the station. And spoiling your birthday lunch. And almost having a meltdown over teriyaki salmon.”

He considered himself the victor when Yu broke out into a small laugh. Feeling good about himself for a moment, Yosuke was a little thrown off guard when Yu hummed suspiciously while dividing another piece of his fish.

“By the way, this dish . . .” he took the bite, “wouldn’t happen to have any special significance, would it?”

Consequently, Yosuke blushed and rushed to knock back a sip of his bottled soda.

Yu continued. “Because I vaguely recall this being the only fish dish you like. I also vaguely recall being the one to have made it for you.”

Soda swallowed and nowhere else to go, Yosuke lowered his head into his bowl of rice. Sure, he’d wanted Yu to know why he made this, but _bringing it up?!_ Yu was always doing embarrassing things like this; Yosuke wondered when (if ever) he’d get used to it. “It might . . . have . . . _something_ to do with all those things.”

“Yosuke . . .” The way Yu’s voice nearly cracked caused Yosuke to stop poking his rice at once and look up into Yu’s eyes.  

Yu was scooting his chair closer, running his fingers up Yosuke’s knee to his thigh, was leaning and - oh that’s right, Yosuke remembered, they were supposed to kiss _before_ the meal. Now their breaths and lips tasted like fish. Not that it remotely mattered to Yosuke, who suddenly realized how long it had been since they’d last done this (months, as painful as it was to admit it).

To keep his own voice from cracking, he fell back on a joke. “Mmm, salmony.”

Yu pulled away with a chuckle, biting his own lip. They were both blushing, which felt like a small miracle to Yosuke, who rarely got to see Yu do such a thing.

It was another reaffirmation, as he took in Yu’s enraptured expression, that the only thing that his partner had wanted from the second he’d stepped off that train was to be by Yosuke’s side, and that somehow (okay, through his own stupidity), this fact had completely eluded him. Yu’s fingers were inching further up his thigh, his other hand tracing Yosuke’s cheekbone in soft strokes. His lips were centimeters from his, begging for another kiss.

To think - Yosuke had been worried about _fish_.

Yu made a small hum, brushing their lips together, and Yosuke felt heat from below swell into his chest, making his lips tingle and his head light.

“You didn’t happen to have another plan for us after my birthday meal,” Yu whispered softly, planting a light kiss, “did you?”

Yosuke, incidentally, had _not_ \- but his brain was already on it. “Nnn-uh, y-yeah, actually,” he smiled as his excitement grew. “ _Might_ involve my couch.”

Yu nodded, eyes closed, and leaned in for another kiss. “Okay.”

Yosuke grabbed Yu by the collar of his sweater and dragged them both to his living room sofa, kissing and tripping over each others’ feet until they landed with a flop on the cushions. Yu was probably supposed to be leaving for Dojima’s by now - actually, they both were. They really didn’t have time for something like this. Regardless, they pressed their mouths together over and over, unable and unwilling to stop their momentum despite the threat of another frantic phone call or text from their concerned friends.  

“O-oh, hey,” Yosuke panted as he pulled away, “happy birthday, partner.”

“Thanks,” Yu whispered, and retook Yosuke’s mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't know how obvious this is but i have no clue how to make teriyaki salmon.
> 
> any comments and kudos are much appreciated! (it really makes all the hard work worth it.) you can also find me on [tumblr](http://livefreeordie13.tumblr.com/) where i post smallish, fluff & nsfw shortfics, headcanons, and things. and this is my new [twitter](https://twitter.com/) (nothing fancy).


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